“How Innocence Shapes Lord of the Flies”
Two major themes of the novel The Lord of the Flues are fear and the loss of innocence. These two themes are prevalent through the entirety of the novel because the children on the island are exactly what they are: children. They are too young, scared, and innocent to know any better. With the lack of maturity and guidance from an adult, the older kids of the island, or the “bigguns,” begin to spiral out of control. Along with that, the youngest kids of the island, or the “littluns,” being so small and scared create the never-ending terror of the supposed beast that lurks through the jungle. Together, the terror from “littluns” and the savagery from the “bigguns” originate solely from the fact that the children are scared and alone without any supervision. The children being children is truly what makes the novel. …show more content…
Jack, the leader of the barbaric tribe states, "We've got to have rules and obey them. After all, we’re not savages. We're English, and the English are best at everything."(pg. 42) As the story progresses, however, things begin to turn sour. They gradually transform from schoolboys into barbarians that kill pigs and humans. This can be supported by the new tribe’s chant, “Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill the blood!” The drastic shift from pure to evil is more extreme due to the fact that they were so optimistic and innocent at the start. The children and their innocence being corrupted by the island is truly what makes this novel seem so dark and
Two major themes of the novel The Lord of the Flues are fear and the loss of innocence. These two themes are prevalent through the entirety of the novel because the children on the island are exactly what they are: children. They are too young, scared, and innocent to know any better. With the lack of maturity and guidance from an adult, the older kids of the island, or the “bigguns,” begin to spiral out of control. Along with that, the youngest kids of the island, or the “littluns,” being so small and scared create the never-ending terror of the supposed beast that lurks through the jungle. Together, the terror from “littluns” and the savagery from the “bigguns” originate solely from the fact that the children are scared and alone without any supervision. The children being children is truly what makes the novel. …show more content…
Jack, the leader of the barbaric tribe states, "We've got to have rules and obey them. After all, we’re not savages. We're English, and the English are best at everything."(pg. 42) As the story progresses, however, things begin to turn sour. They gradually transform from schoolboys into barbarians that kill pigs and humans. This can be supported by the new tribe’s chant, “Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill the blood!” The drastic shift from pure to evil is more extreme due to the fact that they were so optimistic and innocent at the start. The children and their innocence being corrupted by the island is truly what makes this novel seem so dark and