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Theme Of Darkness In Lord Of The Flies

921 Words4 Pages

Two authors, each telling a different story, but with the same message. Although in different ways, William Golding and Khaled Hosseini both develop the theme that darkness can be found within everyone. Their use of characterization, symbolism, and motif suggest that darkness lives somewhere deep inside us all. The sole difference between each person is how well they keep that darkness contained.

Both Golding and Hosseini use characterization to develop the theme, darkness can be found within everyone. In Lord of the Flies, Golding shows a hidden darkness inside a main character, Ralph. Throughout the novel Ralph has been a leader and the foothold of what little civilization remains on the island of boys. One night the savage group of boys dance and chant, "Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood! Do him in!"(Golding 152). To our surprise, Ralph participates in the group. Exhilaration and …show more content…

Ralph is a boy who tries to restore good on a now savage island, but even inside of him we can see an inner darkness take over. Likewise, Hosseini shows the same inner darkness in his story, The Kite Runner; only instead of taking part in the violence, his main character Amir, does nothing to stop it. Amir and his best friend Hassan win the Kite tournament in Kabul. When they cut the last kite free, Hassan runs off to fetch Amir his grand prize, that final blue kite. Amir runs off to find his friend but he finds Hassan being raped in a dark alley by Assef, known to them as a bully and tormentor. Rather then rushing to help his best friend, Amir runs away with the realization that, "Nothing was free in

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