Innocence In Lord Of The Flies Essay

Not only do the children in Lord of the Flies and “Pilgrims” lose their innocence because they do not have authoritative figures in their life, but this eventually causes and leads to tragedy in both situations. In Lord of the Flies the majority of the boys’ loss of innocence transitions into the brutal savagery demonstrated, causing two deaths, which stems from the lack of adult authority. As the boys’ belief in the beast gradually increases, their innocence decreases. This descent from innocence ends with a catastrophic tragedy: the murder of Simon. Even Piggy and Ralph fall prey to this. The boys are described as, “Piggy and Ralph, found themselves eager to take a place in this demented but partly secure society (...) ‘Kill the beast! Cut
Once their innocence is lost, the savagery that stems from the loss of their innocence takes over everyone, even Piggy and Ralph, the rational and logical ones on the island. Piggy and Ralph being “eager to take a place in the demented but partly secure society” offers an insight into what the other boys are thinking and feeling. They are excited in a sick way, about to kill a living thing, something no child with innocence would be excited over. Even the description of Simon changes from saying “Simon” to “the beast,” thus this scene is being described by the boys, expressing how detrimental the loss of innocence is for the boys, as they are so blind to their actions without their innocence, they really believe Simon is the beast, thus allowing them to kill Simon. Roger is a character most memorable for throwing stones at Henry. However, every time Roger throws stones at Henry, he “throws it to miss” which indicates he still had innocence left in him at this moment. However, in the second death, Piggy’s, Roger’s extreme loss of innocence is conspicuous. He is described as, "Roger, with a sense of delirious abandonment, leaned all his weight on the lever"