The Savage In Humanity
In late 1972, a plane crashed in the Andes mountains, stranding a group of 45 people and forcing them to resort to cannibalism. Similarly, in The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, a group of boys crash land on an island in the middle of the sea. The group initially attempts to maintain order, but by the end, there are two distinct, rivaling groups: those who have remained civilized and those who have turned to savagery. The only reason why people do not become corrupted and savage is because the morals and laws of society hold them back.
Jack began as a civilized boy who initially argued that the group should maintain propriety, stating “‘We've got to have rules and obey them. After all, we're not savages. We're …show more content…
Although he never deliberately hit his targets, Roger's random acts of passive-aggression are indicative of his descent into madness. Eventually, he abandons the laws of a civilized society and instead embraces his savage and sadistic nature. Golding 190). Roger then implies his intentions to murder Ralph and display his head on a stick, just as they had done to the pig they had previously killed. This act highlights the effect of a lack of enforced rules, manifesting in the boys' physical and psychological transformation, often for the …show more content…
However, this claim is flawed because not everyone will automatically become evil as some may be inherently better than others. People like Jack and Roger already exhibit the traits of an evil murderer. Those like Simon and Ralph show their inner goodness by their want to help people. “The truth must be that both components are of equal importance. We are born with evil in us and cruelty is part of this. (Though there is also a capacity for selflessness and love: otherwise we are denying part of our human nature)” (“Why Boys Become Vicious”). All of the boys were born with the savageness inside them, and it just became worse and more prominent over time. Piggy, Ralph, and Simon may have some of this awful hate in them, but theirs is less and they are simply too kind-hearted to be overcome by the darkness. In addition, Jack and his group’s savageness are not helped by the fact they are still quite young. Some of them may be teenagers, but there are little ones too. According to the New York Times article “The Age of Reason; A Chilling Crime and a Question: What's in a Child's Mind?”, “Younger children are considered to have the impulse to do good and evil, he added, ‘but not the reason to control the impulse’” (Sachs). The boys can control themselves, but the fact that they are all barely teens shows that they are not fully able to keep
In late 1972, a plane crashed in the Andes mountains, stranding a group of 45 people and forcing them to resort to cannibalism. Similarly, in The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, a group of boys crash land on an island in the middle of the sea. The group initially attempts to maintain order, but by the end, there are two distinct, rivaling groups: those who have remained civilized and those who have turned to savagery. The only reason why people do not become corrupted and savage is because the morals and laws of society hold them back.
Jack began as a civilized boy who initially argued that the group should maintain propriety, stating “‘We've got to have rules and obey them. After all, we're not savages. We're …show more content…
Although he never deliberately hit his targets, Roger's random acts of passive-aggression are indicative of his descent into madness. Eventually, he abandons the laws of a civilized society and instead embraces his savage and sadistic nature. Golding 190). Roger then implies his intentions to murder Ralph and display his head on a stick, just as they had done to the pig they had previously killed. This act highlights the effect of a lack of enforced rules, manifesting in the boys' physical and psychological transformation, often for the …show more content…
However, this claim is flawed because not everyone will automatically become evil as some may be inherently better than others. People like Jack and Roger already exhibit the traits of an evil murderer. Those like Simon and Ralph show their inner goodness by their want to help people. “The truth must be that both components are of equal importance. We are born with evil in us and cruelty is part of this. (Though there is also a capacity for selflessness and love: otherwise we are denying part of our human nature)” (“Why Boys Become Vicious”). All of the boys were born with the savageness inside them, and it just became worse and more prominent over time. Piggy, Ralph, and Simon may have some of this awful hate in them, but theirs is less and they are simply too kind-hearted to be overcome by the darkness. In addition, Jack and his group’s savageness are not helped by the fact they are still quite young. Some of them may be teenagers, but there are little ones too. According to the New York Times article “The Age of Reason; A Chilling Crime and a Question: What's in a Child's Mind?”, “Younger children are considered to have the impulse to do good and evil, he added, ‘but not the reason to control the impulse’” (Sachs). The boys can control themselves, but the fact that they are all barely teens shows that they are not fully able to keep