Mental Illnesses In William Golding's Lord Of The Flies

Kaiden Sheridan Mrs. Browne English March 15, 2023 Literary Lens Essay Both literal and metaphorical fires divide several boys who land on an island during a nuclear war. These boys fight over power and resources without the bindings of society. William Golding believes that civilization has no room for goodness and is pessimistic about mankind’s ability to live successfully. Not only the breakage of faith in the chief, but also the idolization of the Devil, and the extermination of children, support Golding’s pessimistic view.

Stuck on an island with kids and an unknown “beast” what is it? The story of Lord of the Flies occurs during World War 2 on a deserted island after a plane filled with children crashed and where a new beast takes over . What is the beast? The beast in Lord of the Flies is constantly changing from fear to war then to savagery. So what is the meaning of the beast in the Lord of the Flies?

Ken Kesey uses his novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, to describe the lives of patients in a mental institution, and their struggle to overcome the oppressive authority under which they are living. Told from the point of view of a supposedly mute schizophrenic, the novel also shines a light on the many disorders present in the patients, as well as how their illnesses affect their lives during a time when little known about these disorders, and when patients living with these illnesses were seen as an extreme threat. Chief Bromden, the narrator of the novel, has many mental illnesses, but he learns to accept himself and embrace his differences. Through the heroism introduced through Randle McMurphy, Chief becomes confident in himself, and is ultimately able to escape from the toxic environment Nurse Ratched has created on the ward. Chief has many disorders including schizophrenia, paranoia, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder, and, in addition to these illnesses, he pretends to be deaf and dumb.

“When we was coming down I looked through one of them windows. I saw the other part of the plane. There were flames coming out of it”(Golding 8). The novel “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding starts with a group of boys whom their plane is shot down, as the story takes place in World War Two. The British boys are stranded on the island with no adults around.

In society, there are many standards that people must uphold to. In western society, it is uncommon for men to have long hair or for women to have short hair. Naturally, people will be conscientious of their differences between other people and try to change them or cover them up, and often times people who do not follow the standard are looked down upon. This leads to people trying to fit into the groups around them almost thoughtlessly. However, when people conform without thinking, it can lead to dangerous consequences.

In Lord of the Flies, Golding explores the idea that human nature, when left without the regulations of society, will become barbaric. As one of the prevailing themes in his work, the dark side of human nature is represented through the novel, not only in symbols and motifs, but in his characters as well. The dark side of human nature is an integral part of the novel 'Lord of the Flies.' William Golding, a British novelist employs symbols, motifs and characters to create the idea that human nature, without civilisation will become barbaric.

Every human has a somber attitude hidden inside oneself that is exposed only in certain situations. The novel Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, is an excellent example of the evils that escape one in dangerous matters as it occurs to it’s characters. With Goldings rigorous tale of a group of stranded young boys and their suffering on an uncharted island, he creates an intensely frightening mood for his readers, which allows his tone to be portrayed. William Golding provides a clear description of his cynical and apathetic tone, using Imagery, Language, and Syntax. Golding uses Imagery on setting, objects, locations, and environments to interact with the readers senses, which creates a fearful mood, allowing an apathetic and cynical tone.

Everyone has this underlying darkness within them that is hidden away deep inside the nooks and crannies of their hearts. Golding demonstrates this through the use of his major characters, Ralph and Jack. In the novel, Lord of the Flies, the author William Golding utilizes character development to suggest the idea that when individuals are separated from civilization, dark forces will arise and threaten unity and harmony. Golding presents the protagonist, Ralph, who is decently intelligent and completely civilized, to demonstrate how once individuals are pulled away from civilization, the dark forces within them will arise and change how they are for the time being.

Throughout human history, evil or cruelty exist in various shapes and sizes; furthermore, it can be seen through Hitler's concentration camps and to the US Japanese internment camps. Various novels portray these situations, such as “Schindler's list” and “Farewell to Manzanar.” Some novels, however portray the evil and cruelty of human society such as the Lord of Flies, and it is a novel that detects the flaw of society to the defects of human nature. William Golding, the author of the Lord of the Flies, emphasise a person of innocence, turning into savagery due to evil within them. It emphasises that evil is a trait of humankind that cannot be destroyed.

In William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies, he created this book about a group of proper british boys to show that even the most civilize of all can turn inhuman and go savage. Also being in the war helped Golding to see what people were capable of even if they were good at heart. The themes in Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies, were influenced by his childhood, his experiences in the war, and his view of human nature. Golding’s early life influenced the theme in Lord of the Flies.

William Golding uses the theme that humans are naturally bad at heart, in the book Lord of the Flies to highlight that without the order and respect we choose to live our daily lives with our human nature will ultimately take us into chaos and savagery. Morals are what we choose to live by, this is what keeps us accountable. Morals do not appear overnight. Overtime they are ingrained throughout our childhood. Giving us a sense of right and wrong.

The human brain. Such a creative and wonderful part of the human body… but could it be responsible for the death of two boys? Yes it could. The Lord of The Flies is a realistic fiction novel, written by William Golding, about a group of young school boys that are stuck on a island untouched by mankind.

During Simon’s encounter with the Lord of the Flies, Golding reveals the central issue concerning human nature. Simon reaches the realization that they fear the beast because it exists within each of them. The Lord of the Flies tells Simon that the beast is inside each boy and cannot be killed. The boys go from behaving like civilized young men to brutal savages. “What I mean is…maybe it’s only us.”

Although the other boys laugh off Simon’s suggestion, Simon’s words are central to Golding’s philosophy of anti-transcendentalism, that innate human darkness exists. Simon is the first character in the novel to see “mankind’s essential illness” which in turn, shows the beast not as an external force but as a component of human nature. Simons deep understanding of the beast is further expressed in his hallucination or his “discussion” with the lord of the flies that he has after one of his fainting spells, “There isn't anyone to help you. Only me. And I'm the Beast...

Human behaviors are easy to be changed by the experiences and environment. As the time passes by, the changed behaviors can be worse or better than before. However, most people become worse because of the specific experiences in their life time. In Lord of the Flies, the changes of behavior are occurred obviously in the characters of Jack, Roger, and Ralph.