The Lord of the Flies
In Wiliiam Golding's book The Lord of the Flies, two running themes are innocence and the loss of it and the fear of the unknown. Another way to describe the fear of the unknown could be man ultimately reverting back to an evil and primitive nature. The cycle of man's rise to power and his inevitable fall from grace is an important point that book proves again and again. Lord Of The Flies symbolizes this fall in different manners, ranging from the illustration of the mentality of actual primitive man to the reflections of a corrupt The novel is the story of a group of boys of different backgrounds who are marooned on an unknown island when their plane crashes. As the boys try to organize and formulate a plan to get rescued, they begin to separate and as a result of the dissension a band of savage tribal hunters is formed. Eventually the stranded boys almost entirely shake off civilized behavior. When the confusion finally leads to a manhunt for Ralph, it shows that the boys have backpedaled and shown the underlying savage side existent in all humans, despite the strong sense
The author wishes to show, however, that fear is an emotion that is instinctive and active in humans from the very beginnings of their lives. Simon falls to the ground dead and is described as beautiful and pure. The novel proves this by throwing together opposing forces into a situation that dowses them with power struggles and frightening situations. In the novel, Simon is a peaceful lad who tries to show the boys that there is no monster on the island except the fears that the boys have. This darker side of man's nature inevitably wins and man is proven to be a pathetic race that refuses to accept responsibility for its shortcomings. Simon faced his loss of innocence abruptly when he was stabbed repeatedly. His loss of innocence is a big realization for some of the other boys an the loss of thier innocence. As the boys fear the unknown more more, a savage side prevails over thier better. The novel shows the reader how easy it is to revert back to the evil nature inherent in man. As Simon comes to the campfire he is hit in the side with a spear, his prophecy rejected and the word he wished to spread ignored. Once they kill the pig, they put its head on a stick and Simon experiences an epiphany in which he understands more about the beast. William Golding discusses man's capacity for fear and cowardice. It is understandable that boys ranging in ages from toddlers to young teenagers would have fears of monsters, especially when it is taken into consideration that the children are stranded on the island. This revelation uncovers another weakness in man, supporting the idea or belief that man is savage at the very core of his existence. Man grows more savage at heart as he evolves because of his cowardice and his quest for power.
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