The beast is a representation of the savagery and darkness that lies within the boys. At the beginning, the beast is portrayed as a mere figment of imagination created by “Them little ‘uns”. It is not until Samneric see the dead pilot and his parachute that they believe there truly is a beast. In a state of delirium from thirst and hunger, Simon sat in front of the beasts head as it spoke to him. “You knew, didn’t you?
Creon’s overall power grants him his free will. He says, “I know. You point the horns of my dilemma. It's hard to eat my words, but harder still to court catastrophe through overriding pride.” (240). Creon tells the Leader that even though Tiresias has shown the truth of his actions, he cannot admit them or change them because he has no power left, no free will.
The primitive behavior Jack showcases are amplified as he continues to hunt for pigs and neglect the opportunities to get off the island. This behavior then begins to come in the form of human savagery as he tortures those in Ralph’s camp and kills Simon and Piggy. Ultimately, the murder of Simon and Piggy is the peak of the Jack’s savagery. To imagine a group of children ages 6-14 murder two children out of sport is chilling. The book describes the murder of the children without even identifying who it is by describing the victim like an animal or beast, “The sticks fell and the mouth of the new circle crunched and screamed.
“He crawled forward and soon understood….the wind’s indignity.”(162). Simon was savagely killed by Jack and the other boys who had left the civilized state of mind behind. Simon was killed because he was mistaken for the beast when he was trying to tell the truth about the beast that they had been fearing all this time actually was. The beast was a symbol in the novel for the boys inner evil and primitivity. By killing Simon, the boys became what they were fearing.
The silence accepted the gift and awed them.” The previous passage demonstrates that the boys’ dismay of the Lord of the Flies is gradually growing. This is a result of the endorsement of such transcendental speculations by the leader of the tribe. Meanwhile, the tribe members will not dare to challenge Jack as he is the one that is believed to provide the shield that they all need against this evil creature: the beast. In Collins’s work, despite the fact that the leaders of Panem are barbaric and cruel, the
If given the choice, would it be prefered to have order and control or to have chaos and savagery. Most would depend on the controlled and disciplined environment, while others revolt to the chaotic and carefree roles. The survival for the boys in The Lord of the Flies relied on these two alternatives, but it was the attempt at creating a government that made them choose. And most lost something that would not be possible to gain back, the loss of innocence. Most youth are given role models to follow and learn from, the boys on the island had no role models.
Humans kill, whether it be animals, insects or people. The justice system is used to try and fix what others have done and in this way they are punished. They are punished in a functioning society with rules and laws, but when all that is stripped away we are left with mass destruction and humans that kill. The novel Lord of the Flies, published in 1954 and written by Nobel Prize winning author, William Golding, portrays the violence and eradication of a functioning society through young boys stranded on an island. Golding uses the symbol fire and forgetfulness of the need for it to develop the theme of the loss of society and creation of uncivilized destruction.
Through his inability to suppress his erratic behavior and overcome his overwhelming sense of guilt, he proves that he is just like the rest of humanity. He denies the idea that he not superior. He continues to justify the murders in effort to prevent him from losing his conception of himself as a
In Lord of the Flies, the only one who truly learns and discovers the truth about fear is Simon. On the island the group of boys discover that there may be a beastie. With this thought in their head, some of the boys like Jack have this insane thought of hunting it down. This thought later drives the group of boys to become obsessed about the beast. Simon knew the truth; “maybe there is a beast…what I mean is maybe it’s only us”(Golding 89).
A juror that was very vulnerable to the pressure was Juror 2. He lacks diction, and seems weak in his beliefs. When the men are asked to share their opinions he says, “Well, it’s hard to put into words. I just-think he’s guilty” (Rose 14). Contrary to the second juror, the third jurors resents being pressured by his peers.