Sometimes, the idea of fear, even if what people fear doesn’t exist, can lead to horrible ideas. William Golding suggests this through his novel, Lord of the Flies. The book tells the story of a group of young boys stranded on an island from a plane crash. Things start innocently, but when fear of a “beast” sets in, the boys begin to participate in regrettable actions. Through the use of allegory, Golding shows how ideas of evil, driven by fear, influence minds more than good-natured ideas. William Golding uses the character of Ralph as a symbol of logic and sensibility. During an argument with Jack, Ralph suggests that instead of focusing on hunting, they should build a shelter, stating that, “‘If it rains like when we dropped in we’ll need
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During a party, the tribe begins to dance when Simon appears out of the trees. The boys proceed to, “[surge] after [Simon], [pour] down the rock, [leap] on to the beast, [scream], [strike], [bite], [tear]. There were no words, and no movements but the tearing of teeth and claws” (Golding 153). This shows the tribe’s savageness, with Golding comparing their actions to those of animals. Later, after stealing Piggy’s glasses, Ralph and Piggy come to Jack to retrieve them. Quickly, things begin to turn deadly, as Roger, “… [leans] all his weight on the lever…The rock [strikes] Piggy a glancing blow…the body of Piggy was gone” (Golding 180-181). This demonstrates the evil that the tribe possesses in another murder, this time through a rock trap. However, despite these extreme behaviors, most of the children agree with Jack and join his tribe regardless of the moral consequences. This shows that in times of perceived crisis, radical, evil thoughts take more importance than reason. Throughout the novel Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses a moral allegory to teach a lesson about how fear can make evil ideas the most appealing ones. At the beginning, Ralph has respect from the other boys for his sensible ideas. As fear of a beast sets in, Ralph’s ideas take less importance and Jack gains most of the kid’s respect. It is shown that while logical opinions are good for logical minds, a fear can cause evil thoughts to take
During a party, the tribe begins to dance when Simon appears out of the trees. The boys proceed to, “[surge] after [Simon], [pour] down the rock, [leap] on to the beast, [scream], [strike], [bite], [tear]. There were no words, and no movements but the tearing of teeth and claws” (Golding 153). This shows the tribe’s savageness, with Golding comparing their actions to those of animals. Later, after stealing Piggy’s glasses, Ralph and Piggy come to Jack to retrieve them. Quickly, things begin to turn deadly, as Roger, “… [leans] all his weight on the lever…The rock [strikes] Piggy a glancing blow…the body of Piggy was gone” (Golding 180-181). This demonstrates the evil that the tribe possesses in another murder, this time through a rock trap. However, despite these extreme behaviors, most of the children agree with Jack and join his tribe regardless of the moral consequences. This shows that in times of perceived crisis, radical, evil thoughts take more importance than reason. Throughout the novel Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses a moral allegory to teach a lesson about how fear can make evil ideas the most appealing ones. At the beginning, Ralph has respect from the other boys for his sensible ideas. As fear of a beast sets in, Ralph’s ideas take less importance and Jack gains most of the kid’s respect. It is shown that while logical opinions are good for logical minds, a fear can cause evil thoughts to take