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The human condition in literature
Humanity in literature
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Whether people will deny it or not, it is certainly apparent that human nature is all too evil; for there is a demon that lurks in everyone, just waiting to come out. Humans can build civilizations and attempt to deviate themselves from such basic instincts, yet nevertheless, evil is not something that they can run from; it is not something that they can defeat. William Golding knew this, and so in his book, Lord of the Flies, he presents so by portraying a microcosm of a society in the form of little British schoolboys. Their plane, in an attempt to escape from the raging war, came to its own demise as it was shot down, leaving the boys stranded on an island they know nothing of. Ralph, later on the leader of the boys, and with the help of …show more content…
With the evolution of the hunt and its successive reenactments, all the boys portrayed some aptitude for violence. During a hunt, the boys did not just kill the sow for its meat, but also, they killed it for the fun of it. Jack would “stab downward with his knife,” as Roger “moved the spear forward inch by inch and the [Pig’s] terrified squealing became a high-pitched scream,” all until “Jack found the throat and the hot blood spouted over his hands.” The hunters laugh at the sight of Robert’s spear and shouts “Right up her ass!” (135). The killing of this sow is horrific and truly demonstrates the boys’ faculty for cruelty. What one must take from this is that they do not just simply kill the pig, rather, they do everything they can to deal as much pain as can possibly be done. Even more so, they enjoyed the act and were very proud of it. Following hunts, the boys usually throw a feast, and at a particular one, later on in the story, shows just how violent any of the boys can get:
For even Piggy and Ralph, under the threat of the sky, found themselves eager to take a place in this demented but partly secure society. They, with all the other boys, surged after [Simon], poured down the rock, leapt on, screamed, struck, bit, tore. There were no words, and no movements but the tearing of teeth and claws.
Momentarily after Piggy was killed, his limbs “twitched” like a “pig’s after it has been killed” (181). Comparing Piggy to an actual pig reveals how the savages are beginning to hunt and kill each other like they are pigs. Additionally, having Piggy’s name be Piggy was a foreshadow to this moment, where there was no difference between him and an actual pig prey. Likewise, the tribe “watched Ralph to see what he would do next” after the twins were tied up (179). Here, Ralph is portrayed almost as a wild animal that the savages are observing and just waiting when to pounce on him. In addition to this, after the conch was smashed, Jack “viciously” hurled his spear at Ralph “with full intention” (181). This implies that Jack is hunting Ralph, like he is the new pig. Ralph is his next prey, now that Piggy, his last prey, is dead. Lastly, through all of his frustration, Ralph accused Jack of being a “beast and a swine,” suggesting that through trying to stop and kill the beast, he has let out his inner darkness and become the beast, yet developed the qualities of a pig at the same time (179).
The novel “Lord of the Flies” was written by William Golding to demonstrate the problems of society and the sinful nature of man.
At Simon’s murder the boys, “Leapt on to the beast, screamed, struck, bit and tore.”
Lord of the Flies provides one with a clear understanding of Golding's view of human nature. Whether this view is right or wrong is a point to be debated. This image Golding paints for the reader, that of humans being inherently bad, is a perspective not all people share. Lord of the Flies is but an abstract tool of Golding's to construct the idea of the inherent evil of human nature in the minds of his readers. To construct this idea of the inherent evil, Golding employs the symbolism of Simon, Ralph, the hunt and the island.
Mankind is innately evil. The allegorical novel, The Lord of the Flies, allows for little interpretation about human nature. William Golding depicts the idea, “evil is an inborn trait of man” (Golding). Throughout the novel the children who have crash landed on the island begin to uncover their savage nature. Although all of the children somehow succumb to a heinous behaviour, Jack, Ralph, and Roger become most noticeably corrupt. Ultimately, it becomes clear that malicious intent is intrinsic in mankind.
At first Jack is unable to kill a pig while hunting "I was just waiting for a moment to decide where to stab him,”(Golding 12%). This shows that at the beginning of the book the idea of killing is not something anyone desires to do, but this soon changes. The epitome of the boys savage ways is when everyone participates in the killing of Simon, who was just trying to explain what the Lord of the Flies of the flies was saying (Henningfeld). The killing continues as the boys on Jack side become more and more rogue. When Ralph and Piggy go up to castle rock the voice of reason is lost in Piggy "The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee: the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist,” (Golding 89%). When Piggy is killed the conch is also destroyed which symbolises the loss of order and control, at this point the boys have lost any sense of human
William Golding’s Lord of the Flies portrays the lives of young British boys whose plane crashed on a deserted island and their struggle for survival. The task of survival was challenging for such young boys, while maintaining the civilized orders and humanity they were so accustomed too. These extremely difficult circumstances and the need for survival turned these innocent boys into the most primitive and savaged mankind could imagine. William Golding illustrates man’s capacity for evil, which is revealed in man’s inherent nature. Golding uses characterization, symbolism and style of writing to show man’s inhumanity and evil towards one another.
Golding has a rather pessimistic view of humanity having selfishness, impulsiveness and violence within, shown in his dark yet allegorical novel Lord of the Flies. Throughout the novel, the boys show great self-concern, act rashly, and pummel beasts, boys and bacon. The delicate facade of society is easily toppled by man's true beastly nature.
Ralph, the first character introduced to the audience, is probably the most likable character in the entire story. Although he does not ponder such deeply like Piggy, is not as spiritual like Simon, or as energetic as Jack, there is something in him that attracts the audience. Ralph serves as the protagonist of the story. He is described as being a playful, innocent child in the beginning, but towards the end he matures significantly. In the first chapter where he takes his clothes off and goes swimming like any child would do, he seems to be Adam in the Garden of Eden, a child left to play with the nature.
People are privileged to live in an advanced stage of development known as civilization. In a civilization, one’s life is bound by rules that are meant to tame its savage natures. A humans possesses better qualities because the laws that we must follow instill order and stability within society. This observation, made by William Golding, dictates itself as one of the most important themes of Lord of the Flies. The novel demonstrates the great need for civilization ion in life because without it, people revert back to animalistic natures.
Evil holds a great amount of power, that many people are oblivious to. Evil holds the ability to shape and influence many people because of the destruction, chaos and ugliness it brings out of humans. In, Lord of The Flies, William Golding tells the childhood story of Coral Island, but in dystopian view as the boys struggle to keep civilization and structure alive on the island. Through savagery and fear, Golding shows human nature is exclusively evil as humans are easily lured by the evil within and around them.
The Lord of the Flies by William Golding is tale of a group of young boys who become stranded on a deserted island after their plane crashes. Intertwined in this classic novel are many themes, most that relate to the inherent evil that exists in all human beings and the malicious nature of mankind. In The Lord of the Flies, Golding shows the boys' gradual transformation from being civilized, well-mannered people to savage, ritualistic beasts.
The issue of the beast is still paramount. Both groups now know the that the beast resides on the top of the cliffs. Jack's group hunted and killed a pig, offered up its head on a stick . Simon the non-believer of the beast goes to see for himself. Simon realizes that it was not a beast at all but a human being . He rushes to tell the boys , it is dark out and the boys are on the beach chanting and screaming , the mistakenly take Simon for the beast and kill him. Simon appears to be a messenger coming to spread the good news, but ends up making the ultimate sacrifice. They show him floating on the water , arms stretched wide , he strikes as being a Christ-like figure . As Simon drifts away you see the reflection of light on the water. The boys are now at the peak boys there transition from being good and sensible to being evil and savages. The death of Simon should of set the boys on the right path but that was not the case. Jack's group stole piggy's glasses to make a fire for their pig . Ralph and Piggy go to Jack's camp to get them back. Piggy asks the boys would they rather be civilized and sensible or savages and hunt. As if piggy were giving the boys their last chance to be human and good. The boys push a rock off the cliff and kill piggy. The beast is known to live on top of the cliffs , and here you can see the irony showing just whom the beast really is.
The novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding used a group of British boys beached on a deserted island to illustrate the malicious nature in mankind. Lord of the Flies dealt with the changes the boys underwent as they gradually adapted to the freedom from their society. William Golding's basic philosophy that man was inherently evil was expressed in such instances as the death of Simon, the beast within the boys, and the way Ralph was fervently hunted.
In the book Lord of the Flies by William Golding, a group of young boys from England are evacuated out of their country due to a war. The plane is then shot down and results into a plane crash on a deserted island. The boys are left all alone with no adults, no supplies, and no one to come and rescue them. They are all on their own and have to establish a new “society”. The boys have to choose someone to govern them and that person ends up being Ralph, who had an internal struggle between what is right and wrong closer to the end of the novel. The boys turn into savages, killing each other, and showing their evil inside each of them. According to, William Golding man is inherently evil, evil is in all of us, but it is oppressed by society, and comes out when there is not anything to hold us back, civilization is what holds back evil from coming out, or it is what triggers evil inside of man.