ipl-logo

How Does Golding Present The Evil In Lord Of The Flies

651 Words3 Pages

Lord of the Flies Essay Level 4 In Lord of the Flies, Golding illustrates how everyone can be turned back to their animal savage instincts. As a matter of fact, even young and innocent boys can be turned into murderous savages in only a matter of months. It can be argued that Roger’s sadistic behavior in Lord of the Flies demonstrates how all humans will revert to their primal instincts when left to their own devices. This is shown through Roger crushing other boy’s sand castles early on in the novel to eventually killing, torturing, and sodomizing the other boys towards the end. Initially, Roger reveals his cruel behavior by merely crushing the littleuns’ and castles and throwing stones around the boys. This demonstrates Golding’s theme of savagery as Roger realizes he can now do these things without punishment from adults or civilization. This is verified by the quote, “Roger led the way straight through the castles, kicking them over, burying the flowers, scattering the chosen stones” (Golding pg. 60). Yet, Roger’s evil is still slightly …show more content…

This is shown through the killing of Piggy, which is confirmed by the citation, “’the rock struck piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee’ ‘Piggy fell forty feet and landed on his back across the square red rock in the sea” (Golding pg. 181). In addition to the death of Piggy, Roger also tortures Samneric. This is verified by the passage, “the yelling ceased, and Samneric lay looking up in quiet terror. Roger advanced upon them as one wielding a nameless authority” (Golding pg. 182) soon after the torturing of Samneric, Roger plans to murder Ralph in a similar way to the death of the sow; this is illuminated by the citation, “Roger sharpened a stick at both ends” (Golding pg. 190). These horrendous acts of violence depict Golding’s philosophy of people reverting back to their animalistic instincts when parted from

Show More
Related

  • How Does Golding Present Fear In Lord Of The Flies

    570 Words  | 3 Pages

    Humans seek experience constantly, since experience is power, but what happens when a person has low experience, that power turns to fear. In the novel, “Lord of the Flies”, by William Golding, Jack, Simon and Ralph’s tribe, face fears based from inexperience, in the form of the Beast. William Golding’s reference to the Beast captures the fear all beings have of the unknown, which lessons as they become more experienced. Jack, an autocratic leader, commands his tribe with a powerful image to ensure no thoughts of mutiny within his tribe, even though he is perceived as a strong character he is still susceptible to his own personal fears, such as the Beast. Earlier within the text Jack believes that the Beast is an animal that can be just hunted and killed.

    Read More

  • Lord Of The Flies Themes

    1131 Words  | 5 Pages

    "Roger ran round the heap, prodding with his spear... The sow collapsed under them and they were heavy and fulfilled upon her(120)," the boys have conquered nature after killing the sow and represents the terror man is going to bring nature . However, there are also signs of nature cleansing the boys’ terror on the island. “The line of his cheek silvered and the turn

    Read More

  • Graffiti Lord Of The Flies Research Paper

    975 Words  | 4 Pages

    Roger killed Piggy by a boulder when, “High overhead, Roger, with a sense of delirious abandonment, leaned all his weight on the lever,”(180) and after the boulder fell, “... the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist”(181). The end of civilization on the island was symbolized by both Roger’s murder of Piggy and the destruction of the conch. At first Roger threw pebbles around Henry to test the consequences of their island civilization and over time, when he learned that there were none, he crushed Piggy with a much larger pebble. Roger’s motives stemmed from a lack of respect for basic human morals because ignoring them allowed him power over others, meat and safety, whereas following them lead to malnutrition and a fear of the beast. Because Jack gave Roger the authority to defend against those who would “sneak” in, Roger with “delirious abandonment” became crazed with the ability to kill Piggy and acted on that intense

    Read More

  • What Does Pink Symbolize In Lord Of The Flies

    1611 Words  | 7 Pages

    Roger goes from a bully to a murderer throughout this book. Near the beginning, he doesn’t dare to hurt anyone because “invisible but strong, was the taboo of the old life. Round the squatting child was the protection of parents and school and policemen and the law”(Golding 62). Later, his behavior was explained to be limited by “a civilization that knew nothing of him and was in ruins”(Golding 62). At the conclusion of the book, Roger becomes the biggest savage in the group of boys.

    Read More

  • How Does Mankind Change In Lord Of The Flies

    1590 Words  | 7 Pages

    Roger is described as the boy "who kept to himself with avoidance and secrecy." (18). He has a different type of sadistic desire than Jack. Roger enjoys hurting people and causing them physical pain. Roger comes into a role of power when Jack leaves Ralph, because he too enjoys hunting and the barbaric sensations.

    Read More

  • How Does Golding Present Fear In Lord Of The Flies

    824 Words  | 4 Pages

    Have you ever felt too scared to speak your mind because every time you do someone makes fun of you or calls you cruel names? Can you imagine getting stuck on an island with no adult to help me survive? Would you be able to survive? The book the Lord of the Flies was written by William Golding. In the beginning of the story a group of school boys from England are in a plane that crashes onto an island, but they all fell in different areas of the island.

    Read More

  • How Does Golding Use Ethos In Chapter 9 Of Lord Of The Flies

    962 Words  | 4 Pages

    He goes into great detail while describing the gruesome murder of Simon. He also uses Pathos to develop Piggy's character. We feel bad for Piggy because he is a genuine human being, and the other boys constantly make fun of him. Golding writes “At once the crowd surged after it, poured down the rock, leapt on to the beast, screamed, struck, bit, tore...blood was staining the sand”(pg.153). This makes the reader feel empathy towards Simon, who has done nothing wrong.

    Read More

  • Fear In Lord Of The Flies

    723 Words  | 3 Pages

    Roger, though a minor character in the novel, plays a leading role in the evil doings on the island. Demonstrating his twisted mind in little ways by smashing sandcastles and throwing rocks at the other boys, he gains a special authority, one brimmed of threats and fear. He is eventually the one to murder Piggy, rolling a boulder onto his head, though he shows no compassion after this dead. The witnesses of Piggy’s death go into an uproar, however, and when “ yelling ceased, Samneric lay looking up in quiet terror. Roger advanced upon them as one wielding a nameless authority” (182).

    Read More

  • How Does Golding Use Imagery In Lord Of The Flies

    349 Words  | 2 Pages

    In chapter 9 of Lord of the Flies, William Golding suggests that sickness comes from inside of the boys with his use of diction and imagery. Golding describes the actions of the boys with the words “clamorously” and “demented” during the dance initiated by Jack. When these words, which have evil connotations, are used, they indicate that there is something sick inside of the boys which is reflected onto their actions. Golding’s diction displays the boys’ corrupt feelings. Imagery is also used to describe the sickness inside of the boys.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Cruelty In Lord Of The Flies

    549 Words  | 3 Pages

    In William Golding's The Lord of the Flies, boys trapped on an island turn into deranged savages and kill each other after they fail to follow the rules of their made-up tribe. Cruelty is used by Golding as a way to communicate his theme which could be that cruelty is in nearly everybody, but civilization’s laws and control prevent that trait from prevailing. The author leaves some evidence of him trying to convey this theme throughout the book. A part of the book that shows this theme being shown would be the demise of Piggy and civilization.

    Read More

  • Quotes From Lord Of The Flies Roger

    201 Words  | 1 Pages

    So far the worst thing Roger has done is torture a pig, but he soon will take it up a notch and make his biggest act of cruelty: murder. In the middle of a stand off, Roger, “...[leans with] all his weight on the lever. … The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee…” (180-181) By committing murder, Roger has completed a heartless act, making him the most savage person on the island and revealing how his morals are wrong.

    Read More

  • How Does Golding Present The Evil In Lord Of The Flies

    830 Words  | 4 Pages

    It has been said several times throughout history that human nature is constitutionally a negative force. This is further shown in William Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies when numerous young boys aged twelve and under are stranded on an island after a plane crash during World War 2. These children abandon all civilization and grow more savage as the literature progresses. The main boys: Ralph, Simon, Piggy, and Jack change exponentially throughout the novel, gradually losing themselves and any culture they had. Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, depicts human nature’s inherent evil and man’s inability to escape it.

    Read More

  • What Is Rogers Descent Into Savagery In Lord Of The Flies

    471 Words  | 2 Pages

    Roger’s descent into savagery in Lord of the Flies reveals the true nature of mankind. Throughout the course of the book, Roger seems to lose grip on civilization slowly and begins to show signs of aggression and the need for power. From the beginning of the book when he stabs a pig and towards the end when he ultimately kills Piggy, Roger’s development into savagery becomes more apparent. Through the character of Roger, Golding is trying to show mankind’s nature is to be aggressive and authoritative. Roger’s violent nature begins to fully emerge during one of the boys’ pig hunts where Roger impales a pig.

    Read More

  • Roger Lord Of The Flies Character Analysis

    731 Words  | 3 Pages

    Golding uses one character named Roger to show that there are those who resort to violence and savagery when laws against violence are not in place. In Lord of the Flies, William Golding is able to portray Roger as a dangerous character early on in the book. When Roger and Maurice disturb the littluns, the reader can sense Roger 's violent mentality. Consider the

    Read More

  • Human Nature And Evil In William Golding's Lord Of The Flies

    1127 Words  | 5 Pages

    Throughout the novel of Lord of the Flies, William Golding provides a profound insight into human nature. Golding builds on a message that all human beings have natural evil inside them. To emphasize, the innate evil is revealed when there’s lack of civilization. The boys are constantly faced with numerous fears and eventually break up into two different groups. Although the boys believe the beast lives in the jungle, Golding makes it clear that it lurks in their hearts.

    Read More

More about How Does Golding Present The Evil In Lord Of The Flies

Open Document