World War Two was a defining moment in the history of mankind, a time when man first began to realize his own mortality in the grand scheme of the world. It was a nervous time for the human race when man feared for their lives and their future. Nothing reflects this more than the literature of the time, including two of the most influential books of the time, George Orwell’s 1984 and William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. Both were inspired by the tragedy of the war and the continued uneasiness that resulted from the Cold War, and therefore many fundamental themes and messages were shared by both books. However, the tones of the books and the plot devices that created the atmospheres sometimes differed greatly between the two pieces of literature. …show more content…
All three of these themes are evident in the novels, and most of the ideas and patterns used to describe these themes are analogous. For example, one could observe the usage of fear by the ruling parties in both novels. Jack, uses fear in two ways to provide stability to his rule. Firstly, he uses the fear of an alternate power to unite his tribe members, while holding a sense of protection in his own stature, as seen when he shouts, “If there’s a beast, we’ll hunt it down.” (Golding 99) The boys fear the beast, so he takes advantage of this by using it to highlight his own stature. However, he also enforces using a second, more prominent power, using a developed fear of the chieftain in all his tribe members. This fear of him forces loyalty out of everyone beneath him, and he uses it to retain power. This can be seen in his treatment of Samneric, as the two boys allude to the torment that Jack and his tribe inflicted on them when they say that “they made us. They hurt us-”, in fragmented, worried sentences. This was successful, as Samneric reluctantly joined the tribe. Meanwhile, two forms of enforcement through fear are used in very …show more content…
Humorously, Lord of the Flies and 1984 deal with a similar issue, in the nature of evil, yet the two authors’ takes on this issue are opposites. The first idea is that evil comes from within the human race, embodying one’s goal as an individual to surpass all others, and one’s need to feel dominant and prosperous. The argument is that these feelings are instinctual, and that societal pressures force the average person away from these actions. Nothing embodies this idea with more accuracy than Lord of the Flies. The novel explores this idea by isolating a group of boys from society, and the reader observes the groups slow descent away from the values that they were taught in society. The boys are obviously worse off due to this, which is easily observed from the actions of Roger, who, “with a sense of delirious abandonment, leaned all his weight on the lever.” (Golding 200) This action kills an innocent person and was caused by Roger’s complete opposition to the ideals of society. Golding ensures that the reader understands his view, that evil comes from inside us, in his use of the Lord of the Flies speech, in which the pig’s head says “Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill!...I’m part of you?” (Golding 158) This shows exactly where Golding stands on the nature of evil. For a
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
The movie and the book are different in many ways but at the same time they have a lot of things in common, the movie doesn't have as much details as the book does but it is a very good movie. In the movie you can very easily see and understand what's going on being you are watching the whole thing with your eyes. The movie also shows you how the students have to fight each and everyday just so that they protect themselves in the streets, the streets is all they know because well they were born and raised in the streets so they learned all about it & are about it. In the movie you can clearly see the struggle they go through, and how the streets are & when they're in school. School is supposed to be a safe place for all kids.
The books “1984” and “The Kite Runner” are two extremely good books that show the harshness of society and contain great characterization. Both books containing characters which are extremely unique to literature overall. Khaled Hosseini and George Orwell characterized the supporting characters in their books extremely well making them very unique to the people around them and the society they live in. Hassan being a Hazara as well as the half brother of Amir and secret son of Baba. Though what makes him unique is how he is selfless, warm and caring despite the many forms of suffering he has been threw. Julia’s characterization in “1984” is also very unique because she is the one character other then the protagonist who is openly against Big
All in all, the sanctions of society begin to deteriorate due to the deaths, the meeting breaking down, and Jack’s obsession with hunting. By removing the restraints of society Golding successfully proves that it is human nature to live primitively and become into the beast that they fear.
In William Golding's Lord of the Flies, the boys who are stranded on the island come in contact with many unique elements that symbolize ideas or concepts. Through the use of symbols such as the beast, the pig's head, and even Piggy's specs, Golding demonstrates that humans, when liberated from society's rules and taboos, allow their natural capacity for evil to dominate their existence.
Humanity is primarily born evil, as our natural instinct is to comfort/sustain oneself. As shown in Golding’s article, “Why Boys Become Vicious”, and in his novel, Lord of the Flies, Golding portrays strong uses of tone in many ways. In the article, “Why Boys Become Vicious”, he explains that boys can become cruel, vicious animals, and can be very deranged people. Golding explains that without support of others or something to rely on, boys tend to become angry, or inconsolable, bringing their natural feelings of cruelty, and rage. With these feelings, some do unjust actions that they anticipate will comfort them. There are certain “conditions” where “cruelty seems to flourish” in many societies and from cruelty, “Chaos” and “fear” are introduced.
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.
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.
This paper will explore the three elements of innate evil within William Golding's, Lord of the Flies, the change from civilization to savagery, the beast, and the battle on the island. Golding represents evil through his character's, their actions, and symbolism. The island becomes the biggest representation of evil because it's where the entire novel takes place. The change from civilization to savagery is another representation of how easily people can change from good to evil under unusual circumstances. Golding also explores the evil within all humans though the beast, because it's their only chance for survival and survival instinct takes over. In doing so, this paper will prove that Lord of the Flies exemplifies the innate evil that exists within all humans.
When viewing the atrocities of today's world on television, the starving children, the wars, the injustices, one cannot help but think that evil is rampant in this day and age. However, people in society must be aware that evil is not an external force embodied in a society but resides within each person. Man has both good qualities and faults. He must come to control these faults in order to be a good person. In the novel Lord of the Flies, William Golding deals with this same evil which exists in all of his characters. With his mastery of such literary tools as structure, syntax, diction and imagery, The author creates a cheerless, sardonic tone to convey his own views of the nature of man and man’s role within society.
Much can happen in a matter of minutes; a man can go from thinking he is happy to thinking his life is falling apart, or can change from hating someone to loving them. These experiences sound outlandish, but they happened to Guy Montag, the main character in Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, and Winston Smith, the main character in George Orwell’s 1984. These two dystopian novels are about the characters discovering major problems in their societies, and then trying to fix them. Montag lives in a society where television controls people’s lives and books have become illegal. On the other hand Smith lives in Oceania, a territory led by a totalitarian regime. This regime is headed by Big Brother and is referred to as the Party. By examining Fahrenheit 451 and 1984, it is seen, not only through the dehumanized nature of society, but also through the theme of lies and manipulation that both Orwell and Bradbury wish to warn of a horrifying future society.
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.
When anyone thinks of the word “evil” they do not think it is within themselves. In reality, without a structured and well-followed society, people are apt to follow their own corrupt desires and neglect the thought of consequence. In the allegory, Lord of the Flies, William Golding reveals that man’s selfishness and sinful nature will be unmasked when the structure of a society deteriorates.
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.
During World War II, the United States killed 90,000 to 166,000 people in Hiroshima with an atomic bomb. The bombing of Hiroshima demonstrated the uncivilized behaviors of humankind: hunger for power, misuse of technology, and subconscious reactions to conflicts. Lord of the Flies, an allegorical novel by William Golding, illustrates a horrific tale of boys who are stranded on an island and lose their ability to make civil decisions. Throughout the book, Ralph and Jack fight for power, Piggy’s spectacles are constantly taken to create fire, and several of the boys become “savage” and act upon their subconscious minds. From a sociological perspective, Golding’s novel portrays man’s voracity for power, abuse of technology to the point of destruction, and his venture to inner darkness.