Human Nature In William Golding's Lord Of The Flies

Superior Essays
Different individuals have different views on the true nature of humans whether it is that individuals are born naturally evil or innocent. A great example of one’s ideas on human nature is William Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies. The author of the novel shares many ideas on human nature with an enlightenment philosopher, Thomas Hobbes. Hobbes idea on human nature correspond with Golding’s ideas through his writing. Hobbes believes that humans are born with a natural evil and will grow corrupt. Through the character Jack, that Golding creates, readers can understand that it is human nature to have an urge for something, which is Jack’s case is a hunger for superior power. Jack starts off losing the election to be leader and is secretly resenting …show more content…
Rousseau believes that humans are born innocent but are later corrupted by society. “Although, in this state, he deprives himself of some advantages which he got from nature, he gains in return others so great” (Rousseau). Rousseau believes that men are born equal but through the influence of society men “deprives himself of some advantages” that they are born with. Rousseau uses the words such as “advantages” to inform the reader about the features that mankind is born with but society removes it. The tone Rousseau uses is pro mankind but only to an extent. He says that men are born with great characteristics, but slowly through the influences of society the characteristics perish. The mood Rousseau sets for the reader shows that nature gives man great characteristics but it is up to themselves to maintain it. While Rousseau makes a compelling argument about human nature, but he does not adequately address the reality that men are born with the hunger for more of something. Hobbes ideas align with Golding’s ideas better because Golding’s character Jack is nearly a perfect example of Hobbes’ interpretation on human nature. An example of another scene is when Jack is tired of not possessing the amount of power he wishes and tries to hold a re-election for choosing another leader. “‘Hands up,’ said Jack strongly, ‘whoever wants Ralph not to be

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Rousseau argues that in nature, “a savage man’s body is the only instrument he knows, he employs it for a variety of purposes that, for lack of practice, ours are incapable of serving.” Rousseau immediately shows how society and civilization have decreased the nature of man because modern advancements have kept man from following natural physical improvements necessary for survival. Rousseau then explains how extreme inequality in our lifestyle exists when you look at distribution of labor and resources in society such as the excessive idleness among some, the excessive labor among others, the overly refined foods for the wealthy, and the lack of food for the poor. Humans are neither monogamous nor romantic and Rousseau states that “it is incontestable love itself, like all other passions, had acquired only in society that impetuous ardor which so often makes it lethal to men.” Finally, Rousseau asserts that society and civilization have removed mankind from its natural habitat with the introduction of language and abstract thought, both of which would not exist in…

    • 784 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Rousseau begins his story with a very egotistical introduction “I feel my heart and I know men. I am not mad like any that I have seen; I venture to believe that I was not made like any that exist” (Rousseau 387). He continues this type of exaggeration when he talks about his birth, “I cost my mother her life, and my birth was the first of my misfortunes” (Rousseau 388). Not only does he come across quickly as conceited talking about how his story is special and unlike any other, but he writes it in a sense where he almost expects the reader to feel sympathy for him.…

    • 1168 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Hobbes represents one extreme; Goldman strongly refutes Hobbes and finds herself supporting the other extreme, while Locke’s view of human nature fits somewhere in the between the two. Hobbes’ end of the spectrum views humans as sophisticated machines. He makes minimal assumptions in constructing his state of nature, and as a result, Hobbes delivers the strongest and most convincing interpretation of human nature.…

    • 1170 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    In chapter one though three we have learned that there is group of boys that got stranded on a deserted island after their plane got shot down. This left the group of boys wondering what to do. We are also introduced to Ralph who became the leader for blowing into the conch and calling the other boys into order. Piggy, who is chubby but very smart and reasonable. Then we got Jack who wanted to become chief but didn’t get enough votes.…

    • 289 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    William Golding’s Lord of the Flies is a novel about a group of british boys who are stranded on an island after their plane is shot down. The group encounters numerous amounts of problems while they were stranded on the island, resulting in multiple disputes between the boys. Conflict is obvious throughout the novel, whether it's Man VS. Man, Man VS. Himself or Man VS.…

    • 958 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Will Leach Mrs.Bademan ½ A Lord of the Flies Literary Analysis In the book Lord of the Flies, William Golding, depicts the recreation and destruction a of society by a group of young boys. Throughout their journey on the island, the boy’s fight about how to run their civilization. Throughout this fighting, two main coalitions of boys emerge, with each one with their own respective leader Ralph, and Jack. The fighting through a sequence of escalating events eventually descends into complete chaos as the boys who support Jack begin to corrupt and even attack the remaining kids.…

    • 1127 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    This being if you have bad intentions which will start to be seen in the eyes of your people . Viewing this novel in the perspective of historical events, Jack can be viewed to be a replica of Napoleon with the exception of Jack being an inferior individual who…

    • 1151 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Each man’s view on human nature could be looked at as a stepping-stone for the way that they viewed the world both men grew in. Rousseau believed that people in the state of nature were naturally good and realistic. (Rousseau p.60) He also believed that men and women did not interact with one another and thus do not possess a sense of virtue or morals. He states that people are self-concerning in that they take care of themselves yet if one of their own is in trouble they help out.…

    • 1621 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    Rousseau observes human nature as innately good when it’s extracted from all social attachments and the immensely corrupting overall influence of society itself. Society, for Rousseau in his eyes is a grand impulse where the decencies of human beings are displayed. Rousseau 's political theories are derived from the seemingly simple idea of arranging humans into a social setting that’s bare of corrupting elements of society. Rousseau 's leap toward a social and political order of amour propre over amour de soi is evidence of this. Rousseau derives a substantial amount of his beliefs from morals such as equality.…

    • 1209 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    When Jack got angry at someone, his sole solution was to beat the person. Today,Nowadays teachers and programs help children learn how to deal with their anger in a humane way, such as taking deep breaths instead of turning directly to violence. Golding, a man of faitha religious man, would be contented that in modern times humaneness is being taught, unlike in the 1950s and in the novel (Kruger, 90). In present times, children are also taught how to make good decisions. In the book, Jack invited everyone over for a feast and afterwards they had a dance.…

    • 1219 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Morality is the distinction between what is right and wrong. Some people believe that morality can be enforced with stringent laws, while other people do not. There are different stories to both sides of this argument. Morality is different from person to person. Everyone has a different set of morals that are unique and different from others.…

    • 1831 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Starting off, they each had a distinctive understanding of human nature from one another. To Rousseau, humans in primitive times were "noble savages" and it is "civilization" that turned man into a "beast". Conversely, Hobbes believed that being "civilized" is a positive trait and being uncivilized or a "savage" is bad. Concerning human nature, Rousseau theorized that humans were innately good and generous, before being corrupted by the vices of civilization. Human life was most likely peaceful and compassionate as described in his opening line, “Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.”…

    • 1051 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In 1923, a man by the name of Sigmund Freud forged the concept that the human psyche had multiple parts or layers, three to be exact. In the Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses psychological allegory to illustrate that people who are exposed to a society with no structure have their true human psyche comes out. This comes in these three forms: Id, Superego, and Ego. In Lord of the Flies, after the group of boys had been stranded on the island for a number of days, certain boys’ true personalities were revealed.…

    • 732 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Hobbes’ belief in the inherent selfishness of human begins who desire power can clearly be seen when Jack kills his first pig and the boys miss the chance of being rescued. In his most famous work, Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes articulates his view on the selfish nature of humans when he writes, “For such is the nature of man, that howsoever they may acknowledge many others to be more witty, or more eloquent, or more learned; Yet they will hardly believe there be many so wise as themselves: For they see their own wit at hand, and other mens at a distance”(Hobbes). Hobbes uses parallel structure to articulate the idea that an individual believes themselves better than all others in a society.…

    • 401 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Rousseau criticizes the state of nature described by Hobbes; instead of a constant state of fear, Rousseau described it as equality and happiness. Through the passage of time, the state of nature started to disappear as small communities formed, here man started to make comparisons to one another as class divisions developed. For Rousseau private property was a drastic change because communities went away from a simple state to one that consisted of greed and rivalry. Disapproving of Hobbes, who argued that people surrendered rights to an overall “ruler”, Rousseau believed people surrendered their rights to each other, in other words the community. For Rousseau, modern civilization took away the good parts of the early societies and replaced it with a society revolved around the state.…

    • 1070 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays