Nature Of Mankind In Lord Of The Flies

Mankind's Violent Nature: A Study on the Innate Wickedness of Humanity William Golding once said, "Anyone who moved through those years without understanding that man produces evil as a bee produces honey, must have been blind or wrong in the head." He describes humankind to be malicious after his experiences in World War II. His excessive lack of faith in humanity allowed him to express this theme in a book about proper British schoolboys. This proclamation was portrayed as the major theme in the Lord of the Flies. Throughout this allegorical novel, Golding uses a major symbol, the conch shell, to express this theme. Golding's usage of the conch shell at first as a tool to govern the boys' meetings symbolizes order and democratic power. As

This desensitization represents the true violent natures of mankind, unleashed in even children. The boys later murder Simon, believing that he was the beastie. Ralph and Piggy realize that they, along with the other boys, participated in killing Simon. The aftershocks of their actions were frightening as they could not believe they murdered someone, "'That was Simon...that was murder...it was dark. There was that - that bloody dance...we was scared...It was an accident...'" (Golding 156-157). The tone that Golding uses gives the reader the impression that Piggy and Ralph realized how out of character they had been acting, since proper English boys do not try to kill each other. The conch was a tool to keep them from making immoral acts but since its power has become useless, they are free to act as savage they would like. To avoid guilt, they try to convince themselves that they did not take part in killing Simon, because they were pulled into a frenzy by the dance. They were "scared." Their inability to realize their role in this heinous act shows how desensitized they've become towards murder. It foreshadows the next savage act the boys will commit, which is to murder Piggy. Shortly after their realization that Simon was dead, "Ralph, cradling the conch, rocked himself to and fro." (Golding 157). Holding the conch delicately represents that its ability to influence the boys has dwindled so much that they have to protect it from disappearing completely. Order is hanging by a thread that could snap at any moment; the fragility of this statement is shown after the following confrontation. After Ralph and Piggy face Jack's tribe, Roger rolls a boulder and it kills Piggy; "...the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist." (180-181). Golding's statement that the conch "ceased to exist" wasn't just due to the fact that it was broken. It