The Lord of the Flies

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The Lord of the Flies written by William Golding is a popular novel that deals with many themes. The theme I will talk about is how humans and human nature can easily be corrupted by surrounding influences and themselves. Simon is corrupted by the natural environment and the nature of people around him. In contrast, there is Jack who was only corrupted by his obsessions. Also, Ralph became morally corrupted after a combination of spending time with Jack’s group and being by himself. The Lord of the Flies shows that anyone can be corrupted by circumstance especially if left alone.
Simon is corrupted by uncontrollable forces like nature and the actions of the people around him. In the beginning of The Lord of the Flies, Simon is the positive and helpful character: “Simon found for [the litteuns] the fruit they could not reach, pulled off the choicest from up in the foliage, passed them back down to the endless, outstretched hands” (Golding, 57). In this quote, Simon helps out the littleuns which none of the other biguns on the island do showing his kindness and compassion. However, later in the novel, that kindness and compassion is eroded when he is laughed at for his honest suggestion: “Simon’s effort fell about him in ruins; the laughter beat him cruelly and he shrank away defenseless to his seat” (96). Shortly after he is laughed at and mocked by the assembly, he embarks on a journey that would change the island forever. This is when he discovers “the Lord of the Flies hung on his stick” (152). He also imagines a conversation:
‘You are a silly little boy,’ said the Lord of the Flies, ‘just an ignorant, silly little boy.’ … ‘Don’t you agree?’ said the Lord of the Flies. ‘Aren’t you just a silly little boy?’ … ‘Well then,’ said...

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... refusing to acknowledge his former allies by name. By the end of the novel, Ralph became morally corrupted after spending too much time with Jack’s group and himself.
Lord of the Flies shows how anyone, children in particular, can be corrupted by extreme circumstance when everyone splits up. After Simon split from the group, he experienced the most corruption with an imaginary Lord of the Flies. Jack was the physical form of the Lord of the Flies, after his obsession with hunting leads him to become the most corrupted on the island. After spending too much time hunting with Jack, Ralph started to slide down a slippery slope culminating with a brutal assault. In conclusion, The Lord of the Flies shows that the world of children is not as innocent as it seems.

Works Cited

Golding, William. The Lord of the Flies. London: Faber and Faber Limited, 1954. Print

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