Theme Of Evil In Lord Of The Flies

Thesis Statement: In Lord of the Flies William Golding throughout the book is trying to show you that society should recognize man is evil.

Everyone will face evil at some point in their lives, but the way the evil is embraced or deflected will differ among every man. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, symbolism is used to communicate the theme of Understanding the Inhumanity/Inherent Evil of Man as represented through the double ended spear, the fire, and the Lord of the Flies. The spear represents the evil inside of humankind and the perception that killing and hurting each other out of anger is acceptable. Fire symbolizes the evil act of stealing to achieve a human wants. Lastly, the Lord of the Flies symbolizes the Inherent Evil of Man through demonstrating that a boy understood that the evil is within them instead of around them, and is not something that could be killed

"Most of the Evil in this world is done by people with good intentions." These wise words of T.S. Elliot relate to how William Golding, the author of Lord of the Flies, represent from where evil emerges throughout the story. Evil will not exempt kids, who are very innocent, from perpetrating uncivil acts. In the story, Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, a group of British schoolboy's evacuation plane crashes during World War II, leaving them stranded on the island. Golding emphasizes how the boys encounter their civil ways while evil emerges onto the island. Throughout the novel, William Golding's reasoning that evil comes from within was expressed through rhetorical devices describing the scene where Simon talks the the lord of the flies,

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. Golding utilises characterization and symbolism in Lord of the Flies to portray the theme that evil is an inborn trait of mankind.

The novel, Lord of the Flies, by William Golding was inspired by his time as a veteran in World War II. His goal was to portray the change in people’s morality that he witnessed because of the war. He reflected this situation-based change into his characters. The most evident of which was Jack, who, initially described as a proper, cultured choirboy, slowly transitioned into savagery. He conveyed Golding’s idea that civilization’s conditioning of right and wrong merely masks humans’ more primitive and barbaric nature.

The author of “Lord of the Flies”, Golding, believes evil is intrinsic to human beings. He thinks in the human mind, placing someone below themselves increases their self-confidence so that they feel

With the outbreak of World War II in Europe, a group of British schoolboys decide to leave their homes and board a plane to safely evacuate the area. Unfortunately, their plane is shot down. The young boys become stranded on an uninhabited island with a “tangible” fear of a “beast.” This fear distracts the boys from their main priority of building a signal fire in hopes of being rescued from the island. The existence of the “beast” allows the boys to obsess with killing this creature and increases their level of savagery. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, the decline of civilization in their society leads Jack, Roger, and the hunters to develop an inner savage and a willingness to kill.

Fear is intangible yet has perceptible effects. It plays a significant role in human behaviour. Each individual reacts to fear differently, some overcome it, while others give in to it. In William Golding’s “Lord of the Flies” the theme of fear is discussed and it becomes clear that fear has the power to take over not only one’s mind but also control one’s actions.

In Lord of the Flies, a novel by William Golding, there are several themes expressed through the boys from the beginning to the end. The main theme conveys that man is inherently evil. This can be understood from most aspects of the book. Golding conveys that man is inherently evil through the boys need to undermine each other and the loss of morality in their decent to chaos.

The beast is first introduced to the boys early on in their time on the island when the crash acts as a scar to the boys and there is still a state of innocence in everyone. Piggy illustrates the boy with the mulberry-colored birthmark fears to the others (as he is too shy to speak on his own) his discovery of something else existing on the island to the entire assembly, “Tell us about the snake-thing...Now he says it was a beastie...Beastie?...A snake-thing. Ever so big. He saw it ... In the woods … He says the beastie came in the dark ... He still says he saw the beastie. It came to him and went away again an’ came back and wanted to eat him-- ...He must have had a nightmare” (35-36). Considering how innocent and civilized the boys are at

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. The message of inner evil is portrayed throughout the book by the destruction of the conch, terrifying beast, and character developments to establish the hidden message throughout the novel.

In life kids are known to be naive and innocent to the ways of the world. They think everything is fun and games up until they experience a phenomenon that makes them grow up. At times those experiences can be traumatizing and extremely tense. In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the main character Ralph experiences first hand what a human with a dark heart can do. William Golding uses diction, imagery and detail to set an intense tone for the story.

William Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies does not simply describe the life of a group of children stranded on an island, but rather it is a representation of the qualities of human nature. As the novel progresses, the children grow deeper into savagery, performing actions that would be often criticised in society. The absence of law and order devolves even those that attempt to recreate it, like Ralph and Piggy. In this novel, Golding uses children to answer the question whether or not humans are born inanimately good or truly evil. Golding answers this question by symbolising the main characters and their descent into savagery. He uses Ralph and Piggy to describe the well-educated that attempt to grasp civilisation, but ultimately fail to deliver. His symbol of Roger as an ordinary person that breaks loose of the chains of society once disconnected from it. Finally, the nature of Jack is a depiction of the power hungry that will do anything to lead.

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.

Evil has always been evident, throughout the history of man examples of evil are apparent, so why would our literature be any different? Written in 1959 William Golding's novel Lord of the Flies is no different, as its theme explores the natural evils of man through the plot. The book tells of the events that occur after a group of young boys are marooned on an island, the main characters Ralph, Jack, Piggy, and Simon, grapple with finding food and water while they struggle with the return of more animalistic instincts without the guiding hand of civilization. The intrinsic evil and unavoidable sins of man are are exposed through William Golding’s characterization and overlying themes in Lord of the Flies.