lord of the flies

             Reading Lord of the Flies, one gets quite an impression of Golding's view on human nature. He believes that man is inherently evil and that it is the bounds of society that keep us from reverting to our natural state. This image Golding paints for the reader, that of humans being inherently bad, is a perspective not all people share. This opinion, in fact, is a point that many have disagreed with when reading his work. There are many instances throughout Lord of the Flies that state Golding's opinion suggesting an evil human nature. Each of these instances are the bricks holding together his fortress of ideas that are constantly under attack.
             Lord of the Flies is but an abstract tool of Golding's to construct the idea of human nature in the minds of his readers. Throughout the novel, it is stated that all humans are evil. It is said that this evil is inescapable and will turn everyone evil. At one point in the book, when the Lord of the Flies is representing all evil, this theory is stated as, "The Lord of the Flies was expanding like a balloon" (pg. 158). Along with this idea is the religious symbolism that is used for ineffectively confronting the evil. At a point in the book, Golding has Simon, symbolic of Jesus Christ, confront the Lord of the Flies. This is a pig's head on a stick that is imagined to talk and represent the evil in all humans. Simon tries to act and spread the knowledge of this evil to others but is killed. This is a direct reference to the death of Christ, alluding to the Bible.
             At many points throughout Lord of the Flies, Golding writes for the characters to become gradually more and more evil. This attribute even reaches the symbols of goodness and order, such as Ralph. Once, when Ralph and Piggy go to the feast on Jack's beach, they begin to meld with the others and their evil ways. "Piggy and Ralph, under the threat of the sky, found themselves eager to take a place in this demented b
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lord of the flies. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 01:34, April 25, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/37397.html