How Does Golding Present The Evil In Lord Of The Flies

In the book “ Lord of the Flies” William Golding shows that human nature is basically evil through the symbolism he uses. The entire novel is full of hidden meaning, and many of the items and people are facets of human nature. The preponderance of the symbols represent either virtuous or wicked characteristics, and because the theme of the novel is evil human nature, the symbols that represent evil become more prevalent than the ones that represent estimable traits. The symbols that represent good properties include: the conch and the platform. The representations that have evil connotations are: the Pig’s head and the beast.

The conch and the platform all essentially represent the same thing and their abandon or destruction contributes to the theme of the novel. These two things both represent law, order and government. A real connection is between the two when “...Piggy stood on the platform, the white conch gripped in his hands.” In a sense these two characteristics are the items that keep the human nature of man at bay. The conch was the symbol that brought all the boys together,“Ralph

Since evil human nature is the theme of the book these symbols are obviously connected to the theme. The beast is first mentioned at a point where Ralph is trying to reestablish order among the boys. He is talking about all the responsibilities that the boys have been slacking in lately. This is significant. The beast makes its appearance as the mini-civilization begins to break down. The beast, which is a portrayal of evil human nature, is the creature that is causing this turmoil; it is fitting that Golding chooses this moment to bring the idea of the beast forward. Even though Ralph and Jack both quickly put down this notion, the idea shows itself again immediately as the boys continue to talk about the issue with the whole group, including the