lord of the flies inherent evil essay

Inherent Evil: Lord of the Flies

Many say human kind is inherently evil, that there is evil in all of us. William Golding strongly confirms this point in his novel The Lord of the Flies. The Lord of the Flies expresses what can happen to man when there is not structure and little mean of survival. The boys prove man to be inherently evil through control, mistreatment, and murder. The boys in the Lord of the Flies illustrate that human kind is inherently evil through excessive control. Firstly, Jack starts to control his choir to become more savage. Jack says to Ralph, “I’ll split up the choir-my hunters that it, “ (Golding 42).

Here Jack tries to make his choir seem to be more savage, calling them hunters. Secondly, Jack again exercises the need for control by going against the rules. Jack speaks out, “ Bollocks to the rules! Were strong- we hunt…we’ll close in and beat and beat and beat,” (99). Jack breaks the rules wanting to have his own control. Thirdly, by brutally beating Wilfred, Jack demonstrates excessive control. Ralph told, “ He’s going to beat Wilfred…. he didn’t say what for. He got angry and made us tie him up,” (176). This Young 2 uotes shows how Jack has taken control making the boys tie up and help beat Wilfred. The excessive control used by the boys in the novel supports the idea that man is inherently evil, although it is also shown through other ways such as how the boys treat each other. The novel proves the point man is evil through the mistreatment the boys have for each other. To start, mistreatment is shown through the disrespect the boys have for each other. Jack tell Piggy, “Shut up, Fatty,” (17). Jack is insulting Piggy as many of the boys insult and hurt each other, mistreating others.

Next, Samneric show evidence of mistreatment by betraying Ralph. Samneric tell Ralph of Jack’s plan for him. However, later they betray Ralph by telling Jack where he is hiding (207). In this section Samneric mistreat Ralph when they betray him this way. Last, Jack performs mistreatment when he steals Piggy’s glasses. Ralph confronts Jack, “You came sneaking up like a thief and stole Piggy’s glasses,” (196). Even though the boys in The Lord of the Flies mistreat each other proving man is inherently evil, killing plays a major part as well.

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Golding confirms that man is inherently evil by the murders displayed by the boys. The first point is the intentional; murder of Piggy. Golding describes the murder, “ The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee…” (200). This vicious murder of Piggy strongly suggests evil. In addition, is the unintentional, but denied murder of Simon. Ralph is honest with Piggy, “That was Simon…. That was murder,”(172). In this quote Ralph explains to Piggy that they all killed Simon and that it was murder. Finally, there is the in-humane killing of the pig which the boys participated in.

The author describes it, “ The first blow had paralyzed its hind quarters so then the circle could close Young 3 in and beat and beat,’(79). The savage killing of the pig shows the boys blood lust for murder. Murder strongly demonstrates that human kind is in fact inherently evil. In The Lord of the Flies the author affirms man is inherently evil through the boys control, mistreatment, and murders. Deep down without rules and society and the instinct to survive savagery evil may take over. Everyone has the capacity to be evil. Golding has strongly supported and proves this to be corrects in the novel.

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Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Lord of The Flies — Depiction of Humans as Inherently Evil in the Lord of The Flies

Depiction of Humans as Inherently Evil in The Lord of The Flies

• Categories: Lord of The Flies

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Pages: 2.5 |

Published: Jun 29, 2018

Words: 1092 | Pages: 2.5 | 6 min read

Table of contents

Lord of the flies essay outline, introduction, 'fear of the unknown' and its impact, the collapse of order and authority, jack's descent into evil, the symbolism of the beast, lord of the flies essay example, works cited.

• Introduction to the theme of 'the darkness of man's heart' in "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding
• Mention of primitivism, savagery, and human nature as central themes
• Fear of the beast and the island as a representation of the unknown
• The emergence of fear at nightfall and in dreams
• Jack's manipulation of the boys' fear for his gain
• Simon's understanding of the true nature of the beast
• The boys' initial adherence to societal rules
• The deterioration of their appearance and behavior on the island
• The role of authority figures in maintaining order
• The transformation of Roger into a violent and ruthless character
• Jack's initial compliance with societal norms
• His rebellion against Ralph's leadership
• The formation of Jack's savage tribe
• Jack's brutal and merciless actions towards the end
• The evolving perception of the beast
• Piggy and Simon's insights into the true nature of the beast
• The beast as a representation of the darkness within human nature
• The overarching theme of humans being inherently evil
• The impact of fear, the collapse of order, and the symbolism of the beast on the boys' behavior
• The reflection of the darkness in human nature portrayed in "Lord of the Flies"
• Goldhurst, W. (1964). The Lord of the Flies: A Study in the Inner Conflict of the Human Psyche. University of California Press.
• Golding, W. (1954). Lord of the Flies. Faber and Faber.
• Hynes, S. (1962). William Golding: The Man and His Books. Faber and Faber.
• Johnson, R. L. (1997). The Evolution of the Symbolic System in Lord of the Flies. William Golding's Lord of the Flies. Chelsea House Publishers.
• Koopmans, M. (2021). The Psychology of Evil: William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. Human Ethology Bulletin, 36(2), 16-25.
• Kristeva, J. (1980). Desire in language: A semiotic approach to literature and art. Columbia University Press.
• Lindop, G. (2010). A literary guide to England and Wales. Methuen Publishing.
• Rosenfield, C. L. (1963). The Characters of Lord of the Flies. The Antioch Review, 23(3), 347-362.
• Tiger, V. (1965). The Beast in the Lord of the Flies. The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, 23(1), 53-58.
• Zimbardo, P. G. (2007). The Lucifer effect: Understanding how good people turn evil. Random House LLC.

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