Good And Evil In Lord Of The Flies Research Paper

Autumne Gagnow
Mrs.Roeder
English II
10 May 2018
The Characteristics of Good and Evil in Man In life, people have the capability of having good and evil in them, they must choose how to act on those feelings. In William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies, the boys are introduced to a place where they have never been before, and the boys must decide how to react, stay civilized or succumb to the savagery. In the novel, Lord of the Flies, Jack and Ralph begin as well behaved and have rules, but as they lose touch from civilization, and gradually fall into the hands of wickedness. Jack seemed well refined when the boys get to the island, but he soon he starts to be obsessed with the thought of hunting and ends up giving into the primitive nature.

Ralph wants to have a democratic rule and keep things in order, “We’ll have to have ‘Hands up’ like at school” (Golding 33). Ralph kept rules going this way, so it would not turn out to be crazy, and “he [Ralph] sought always to maintain parliamentary procedures” (Spitz 3-4). Ralph knows that having rules will help him distinguish between right and wrong, and it helps the well-being of the group. Being a leader, Ralph always wants to do what is best for the group, “I’m chief. I’ll go. Don’t argue” (Golding 104). Ralph is shown to have some sort of authority, “Ralph demonstrates courage, intelligence and some sort of diplomatic skill” (Slayton 191). Ralph having power has benefited the group, but his power may change into more of a primitive nature. Ralph ultimately falls victim to the savagery because the temptation was too hard for him to pull away from, and “The desire to squeeze and hurt was over-mastering” (Golding 115). Ralph, who had a sudden change to wickedness, and the “imperfection makes Ralph a kind... we can... identify, but it contributes... descent... into a savagery to which Ralph... succumbs” (Telgan 180). Ralph is unable to control the savage in him when he saw the other boys act on this primitive feeling. During the fight, Ralph protects himself against the other boys, but this way may have not been the safest one, and “He felt the point of his spear with his thumb... grinned without amusement” (Golding 192-93). The hunters search the whole island for Ralph, and “Ralph becomes hunted by the boys who... follow Jack” (Burns). The rivalries between the boys escalate to such a height that they are willing to kill one another. Ralph did not seem that he would turn to the savage side because he always stayed civilized, but that primitiveness just broke lose in