Being human means different things to different people. In one context, being human can be defined in biological and evolutionary terms. In another context, being human can mean having a defined set of emotions, feelings, and actions. People hold both of these contexts to be true. Does anyone ever wonder what it means to be inhumane? There are actions that human societies, regardless of culture, find to be unimaginable and inhumane. Actions, such as murder, are described as animal actions; leading to the conclusion that humans really view themselves differently than they actually are. In the 1990 film adaptation of William Golding's Lord of the Flies, human nature and the idea of what it is to be human is exposed. The characters, all of whom are boys under the age of 18, are forced to interact with each other as humans, not as members of a civilized society masked by cloudy views and actions. One character in particular, Jack, has the role that many people would find to be the `evil' character. The character most inhumane and unlike how civilized people should act. In rebuttal to that, Jack's role in the book and reflections of it in real life make his role in real life absolutely necessary and motivating to human society. After defining what Jack's role is, one will understand his techniques of dependency and fear to play on the fact that people are innately evil.
Jack's roles on the island are clearly defined into four groups: The Manipulator, The Warrior, The Pessimist, and later, The Leader. As the manipulator, Jack plays on the needs and desires of the other boys. Rightly so as he is also a boy of their age and knows firsthand what boys would want. Jack understands that the boys want to play more than work, so he finds an activity (hunting) that appeals to them. He understands they are hungry, so he makes the promise of meat. As the warrior, he provides for the boys the three things they want most: food, fun, and strength. The boys view hunting as something fun to do because of the way Jack approaches it. The boys get to dress up and hang out with each other all day. Jack takes on the leader position after this point. He is confident and people are naturally attracted to confidence. As the pessimist, Jack plays on the fears of the boys.
eventually turns the boys into frenzied savages, undaunted by the barbaric orders he decrees. The boys focus more and more on hunting and exploring, neglecting their primary objective: returning home to their families and civilization. The island boys experience manipulation, intimidation, and brutality while under Jack’s authority, revealing that the impact on those under reckless control can prove to be extremely harsh and
The topic of human nature, in its pure form, will tend to use its human power for evil rather than good. This topic is illustrated in Lord of the Flies in a series of quotes that show how a boy named Jack acts when his human nature in its pure form takes over. This first quote establishes that Jack’s human nature in pure form will eventually show itself, by showing that Jack is on an island with only himself and other kids: “Beyond the hollow was the square top of the mountain and soon they were standing on it. They had guessed before that this wa...
William Golding’s novel ‘The Lord of The Flies’ tells the story of a group of English boys isolated on a desert island, left to attempt to retain civilisation. In the novel, Golding shows one of the boys, Jack, to change significantly. At the beginning of the book, Jack’s character desires power and although he does not immediately get it, he retains the values of civilized behaviour. However, as the story proceeds, his character becomes more savage, leaving behind the values of society. Jack uses fear of the beast to control the other boys and he changes to become the book’s representation of savagery, violence and domination. He is first taken over with an obsession to hunt, which leads to a change in his physical appearance This change of character is significant as he leads the other boys into savagery, representing Golding’s views of there being a bad and unforgiving nature to every human.
In the novel The Lord of the flies, William Golding illustrates the decline from innocence to savagery through a group of young boys. In the early chapters of The Lord of the Flies, the boys strive to maintain order. Throughout the book however, the organized civilization Ralph, Piggy, and Simon work diligently towards rapidly crumbles into pure, unadulterated, savagery. The book emphasized the idea that all humans have the potential for savagery, even the seemingly pure children of the book. The decline of all civilized behavior in these boys represents how easily all order can dissolve into chaos. The book’s antagonist, Jack, is the epitome of the evil present in us all. Conversely, the book’s protagonist, Ralph, and his only true ally, Piggy, both struggle to stifle their inner
Jack’s representation of malignant and viciousness validates that there is a dark side of human nature. As choirmaster, Jack succeeds pushing control over others, such as the choir, through his manipulative approach. He concentrates on hunting and yearns for meat. In result, his repulsive acts create a savage within. Evil is present in every single one of us and it is natural for one to do whatever it takes to stay alive. In Golding’s novel, Lord of The Flies, Golding depicts society through the group of stranded boys who are compelled to create their own representation of civilization. Though the civilized boys were born into the liberated civilization not all approach the situation with an enlightened belief. Everyone has the proposition to do great however when undermined, man can turn vicious, such as Jack. His fundamental conflicts are that people are savage by nature, and are moved by urges to dominate over others. The natural darkness in humankind brings about the breakdown of civilization, as demonstrated by Jack.
“Everybody has good and evil within them. All we're trying to say is that people are not all good or all bad. People are more complicated than you think, and one has to be more knowledgeable about the complexities.” This quotation from Stephen Schwartz establishes that even the best of people can be bitter by their own nature. In the novel, Lord of the Flies, William Golding removes the restraints of society to prove that it is human nature to live primitively and that evil lies within all of us. The sanctions of society begin to deteriorate due to the loss of communication, Jack’s obsession with hunting, and the inhumane nature of Jack and his “tribe”.
While the boys are on the island, they become more inhumane. Jack’s job is to hunt, strictly for the purpose of bringing back food. As the story progresses, however, hunting becomes more of a way to show his power ad violent ways than a way to find food necessary for the group. Jack said to “kill the pig. Cut her throat. Spill her blood” (Golding 69). This quote shows how violent Jack is becoming and the progression of hunting being a way to supply food, to a quest for blood.
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.
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.
Jack is more like someone from a cult of some description. He quite easily convinces everyone on the Island that there is a big horrible beast roaming around the place, which is ready to attack and kill at anytime. Jack got all the boys on his side by using scare tactics.
Jack, on the other hand, is doing nothing but causing chaos. Jack fails to realize that the boys need security, stability, and order on the island. Jack was a leader of the choir before the boys landed on the island. These boys, who were in the choir, still want to follow Jack; however, they have no discipline at all. The only thing that is on Jack’s mind is hunting.
The psychology of evil is vital to understanding why Jack and Ralph progress through the story as they do. In Lord of the Flies, evil is an undoubted key to life on the island. The main characters in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies demonstrate Zimbardo’s “Seven Social Processes that Grease the Slippery Slope of Evil,” most notable mindlessly taking the first step, blind obedience to authority, and de-individualization of self.
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.