Evil In Lord Of The Flies Research Paper

1100 Words5 Pages
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.
Man as an individual carries evil
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Throughout the book we witness the power struggle between Jack and Ralph, we watch as Jack undermines Ralph's authority and gains control of the boys on the island. Jack's leadership is powerful, he understands how to coerce others into following him and is exceptional at controlling his crowd. Take for example him leading the crowd of hunters, “Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Spill her blood” (Golding 56). This shows how humans can easily be swept up into the subversive and hateful mindset of others when the support of an idea of any nature is so loud, it is difficult to think clearly. Evil reigns triumphant because of the weak will of man that allows the evils of others to take root inside of him.
The idea of the herd mentality is also blatant in the Lord of the Flies, the characters are swept up in each others actions. It allows for them to feel as if they have done no evil because it was committed as group, notably would be the murder of Simon:
The circle became a horseshoe. A thing was crawling out of the forest. It came darkly, uncertainly. The shrill screaming that rose before the beast was like a pain… the beast was on its knees in the center, its arms folded over its face. It was crying out against the abominable noise. (Golding
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