Good versus Evil in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies...

In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, a young group of boys crash on an uncharted island. In the beginning the boys are excited to be alone, unsupervised by adults. But as the novel progresses, the boys begin to show their true nature. Through the boys, Golding attempts to expose the true nature of humankind, the good, the evil, and the in between. Simon represents the rare, truly good people in the world, the ones that do not do what they do to look good in another’s eyes, or because that is what is expected of them. Simon was alone on the island, one such time Golding says, â€Å"He looked over his shoulder . . . and glanced swiftly around to confirm that he was utterly alone† (56). In this instance, he is literally alone, but he is the†¦show more content†¦In the beginning, when order still reigns on the island, Jack seems to be the good English schoolboy. Although upset that he is not elected as chief on the island, he and Ralph soon become friend s, while he and the other choir boys are given responsibility to keep the fire going and hunt, and doing this keeps Jack pleased, for a while. However, as time progresses and Jack becomes more and more obsessed with hunting, his savage nature begins to show through the civilized side. His chants of, â€Å"Kill the pig! Cut his throat! Kill the pig! Bash him in!† represent his, and many of the other boys, desire, almost need to kill (Golding 114). Soon, Jack completely turns his back Ralph; running off with many other boys to the other, more savage, side of the island. Here, the boys hunt constantly, covered with war paint and carry spears, a bona fide savage. The lure of meat and fun soon bring the rest of the boy to Jack’s side of the island, it is here where the boys, including Ralph, participate in the murder of Simon. As the time progresses and Jack becomes more and more savage, his more violent nature comes out. Before the boys are rescued, Jack has already commit ted two murders, Simon and Piggy, and attempts to kill Ralph. Ralph is like neither of the others. Ralph represents the civilized side of human nature. Soon after the boys arrival on the island Ralph is elected as chief of the boys. Ralph believes that instead of playing on the island the firstShow MoreRelatedWilliam Golding s Lord Of The Flies1745 Words   |  7 Pages1954 novel, Lord of the Flies by Nobel Prize-winner William Golding is a dystopian allegory indicative of vast aspects of the human condition. Set in the midst of a nuclear war, the text details a group of marooned British school boys as they regress to a primitive state. Free from the rules and structures of civilisation and society, the boys split into factions - some attempting to maintain order and achieve common goals; others seeking anarchy and violence. The novel is based on Golding’s experienceRead MoreThe Lord of the Flies by William Golding1306 Words   |  5 PagesIn The Lord of the Flies, William Golding creates a microcosm that appears to be a utopia after he discharged from the British Royal Navy following World War II. After an emergency landing, Golding places a diverse group of boys on the island that soon turns out to be anything but utopia. The island the boys are on turns out to be an allegorical dystopia with inadequate conditions (Bryfonski 22). The boys reject all lessons they learned from their prior British society, and they turn towards theirRead MoreWilliam Golding s Lord Of The Flies1389 Words   |  6 PagesA response to Lord Of The Flies Imagine an airplane crash. The heat of flames scorch passengers’ backs in addition to the wind burning their faces. Lucky, this crash was over water and near an island so most passengers survive, with an exception of the airplane staff and the pilot. Even though alive, many are in fits of fear and panic, and others are in shock. After hurried deliberation, a lone member of the group is elected leader in hopes that they will calm the panic, and make the hard, but necessaryRead MoreGood Versus Evil in Lord of the Flies by William Golding Essay1235 Words   |  5 PagesGood vs. Evil Many years ago, Charles Darwin introduced a theory that we humans are a species which evolved from animals that have inhabited the Earth for many years, and he believed that we were civilized, intelligent, and logical life forms for these very reasons. In the novel, Lord of the Flies by William Golding there is a prominent theme of good versus evil which reveals that maybe humans are not the civilized human beings that they were said to be. William Golding carefully netted this themeRead MoreLord Of The Flies By William Golding1540 Words   |  7 Pagesviews of the concept of â€Å"good versus evil†. British author William Golding wrote his novel, Lord of the Flies, during this time and it reflects this uneasy atmosphere. The character development, along with the carefully chosen symbolism of the novel suggests that Golding wrote Lord of the Flies as an allegory to the people and events of the Cold War, but also to present his future predictions for the Cold War; both of the se exhibit the views of the concept of â€Å"good versus evil† prevalent at the timeRead Morehow is violence presented in lord of the flies1425 Words   |  6 Pagesviolence presented in Lord of the Flies? Planning (remember to get quotes): Key ideas: Introduction Setting - This island - pathetic fallacy, descriptions Binary oppositions: Civilisation vs savagery (breakdowns). Zoomorphism Binary oppositions: Dictatorship vs democracy (juxtapositions) Deaths of Simon and Piggy – animalistic, savage chanting, violent behaviour when they let their temptations get the better of them. Simon and the beast? Conclusion – end of the novel William Golding exploresRead MoreHow Does Golding Present the Theme of Good Versus Evil in the Novel Lord of the Flies?3069 Words   |  13 PagesHow does Golding present the theme of good versus evil in the novel Lord of the Flies? William Goldings novel Lord of the Flies is at first impression a dramatic adventure story about a group of boys stranded on an island, whilst being evacuated from a war-torn world. However to the perceptive reader a more meaningful level of Goldings Lord of the Flies emerges. The novel is designed as an allegory; to a get a warning across to mankind about what Golding called the Essential sicknessRead MoreCivility Vs. Savagery In William Goldings Lord Of The Flies1397 Words   |  6 PagesIn the novel â€Å"Lord of the Flies† written by William Golding the novels main theme was civility versus savagery. The novel is about school boys who get stranded in an island because the airplane the boys were in was shot down. The only adult who was the pilot died so the boys had to learn how to survive without any adults. The schoolboys were aged ranged from 6 to 12 and since there is no adult supervision the boys vote for a leader which causes conflict with two boys. Things begin to get out of handRead MoreOrder Versus Chaos in Lord of the Flies1198 Words   |  5 Pages â€Å"Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and the fall through the air of a true, wise friend called Piggy† (Golding 225). In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, he uses the theme of order versus chaos to show that good has the capacity to become evil. It starts with the boys’ beginnings on the island, to the breakdown of their society, to the tragedies that unfold their civilization. The boys are victims of a deteriorating civilization that turns them intoRead MoreWilliam Golding s Lord Of The Flies Essay1911 Words   |  8 Pagesanother. William Golding’s Lord of the Flies serves as a perfect fictional example of such questioning. Set on an island during World War II, a group of British schoolchildren become stranded on an island and therefore manage to â€Å"escape† the savage war-time conditions at home. However, it quickly becomes evident that savagery abounds on the island as well. Famous and somewhat nihilistic thinker Friedrich Nietzsche would have had insightful analysis regarding the interactions in Golding’s Lord of the