J. K. Rowling, in Harry Potter and the Prizoner of Azkaban, states that “...the world isn’t split into good people and Death Eaters. We've all got both light and dark inside us.” Jack Merridew, an innocent twelve year old at the start of the novel, Lord of the Flies, and Ralph, also an innocent school boy in the beginning , portray the very thing Rowling talks about. All people have both light and dark in them. By the conclusion of Lord of the Flies, both innocent schoolboys have turned into murderers simply by allowing the natural darkness inside them to take control of their lives. Through Ralph and Jack, William Golding demonstrates that humans have a natural tendency toward evil; at the same time, the historical parallels of Mao Tse-Tung
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When he first begins to paint himself with clay and charcoal from the island, Jack’s previously joyful “laughter [becomes] a bloodthirsty snarling” (Golding 64). Jack’s sudden change from a joyful laughter to a snarling, derisive snigger symbolizes the revelation of his inner darkness. In this moment, the light side of Jack buckles under the pressure of the increasing darkness in his heart, which opens a door for Jack’s animal-like self to appear in. In the same way, human nature’s innate dark side always finds a way to push its ugly head into good situations. For example, when hunting the sow, Jack moves “silent as the shadows” (Golding 84). In comparing Jack’s movements to silent shadows, Golding demonstrates man’s heinous nature. Just as shadows cover light, so Jack’s malevolent self blocks Ralph’s attempts at holding the group’s inner animal at bay. While Jack allows his corrupt self to dominate his thinking, Ralph at least attempts to overcome his fate of becoming like …show more content…
At Simon’s murder, Ralph participates willingly in the “demented but partly secure society” of Jack’s tribe (Golding 152). With Ralph’s desire to participate in Jack’s maniacal society, the reader can conclude that this desire stems from the darkness inside his heart. Ralph’s actions demonstrate that though humans can try to act morally, their hearts remain, at least partially, corroded by evil. Understanding this, Ralph “[weeps] for the...darkness in man’s heart” upon the naval officer’s arrival (Golding 202). One of the few times he cries, Ralph mourns for mankind’s inability to act ethically and morally. Ralph’s simple show of emotion serves to symbolize his realization that man cannot attain enough good to eliminate the darkness in the heart. Just as Ralph and Jack fictitiously represent the darkness of man’s heart, so Mao Tse Tung and Fidel Castro portray mankind’s evil
When he first begins to paint himself with clay and charcoal from the island, Jack’s previously joyful “laughter [becomes] a bloodthirsty snarling” (Golding 64). Jack’s sudden change from a joyful laughter to a snarling, derisive snigger symbolizes the revelation of his inner darkness. In this moment, the light side of Jack buckles under the pressure of the increasing darkness in his heart, which opens a door for Jack’s animal-like self to appear in. In the same way, human nature’s innate dark side always finds a way to push its ugly head into good situations. For example, when hunting the sow, Jack moves “silent as the shadows” (Golding 84). In comparing Jack’s movements to silent shadows, Golding demonstrates man’s heinous nature. Just as shadows cover light, so Jack’s malevolent self blocks Ralph’s attempts at holding the group’s inner animal at bay. While Jack allows his corrupt self to dominate his thinking, Ralph at least attempts to overcome his fate of becoming like …show more content…
At Simon’s murder, Ralph participates willingly in the “demented but partly secure society” of Jack’s tribe (Golding 152). With Ralph’s desire to participate in Jack’s maniacal society, the reader can conclude that this desire stems from the darkness inside his heart. Ralph’s actions demonstrate that though humans can try to act morally, their hearts remain, at least partially, corroded by evil. Understanding this, Ralph “[weeps] for the...darkness in man’s heart” upon the naval officer’s arrival (Golding 202). One of the few times he cries, Ralph mourns for mankind’s inability to act ethically and morally. Ralph’s simple show of emotion serves to symbolize his realization that man cannot attain enough good to eliminate the darkness in the heart. Just as Ralph and Jack fictitiously represent the darkness of man’s heart, so Mao Tse Tung and Fidel Castro portray mankind’s evil