Nature Of Man Lord Of The Flies Analysis

In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the basic nature of man is discussed. From the author’s point of view, this basic nature of man is evil. The book is riddled with all sorts of symbols, and all of them depict the inherent evil in mankind’s heart. All these symbols change as the book progresses, and the evil of man is even more evident. Three symbols that most clearly show the evil of the boys on the island are the fire, the jungle, and Roger. Even though the symbols may appear to be innocent and helpful in the beginning of the novel, various forces of change morph them into darker images. When the boys first grouped together, one of the first things they did was elect the leader, Ralph, who suggested that they make a signal fire. “‘If a ship comes near the island they may not notice us. So we must make smoke on top of the mountain. We must make a fire’” (38). At this point in the novel, all the boys …show more content…
Even though these symbols may have appeared virtuous and uninvolved at the beginning of the book, by the end of the book it is apparent that they all depict how mankind so easily reverts back to its savage ways. There is only one character in the book who seems to be unaffected by the savagery around him: Simon. However, he represents an almost mythical character in the book, and he is ultimately killed before he is able to spread the truth about the beast. There have often been connections made between him and Jesus, but one of the main differences between the two is that Jesus was killed after spreading his word while Simon was killed before he had the chance. Therefore, Golding further emphasizes the weakness of man by implying that although savagery is not in him, even the most mythical character in the book is subject to the savagery around him. As the helpfulness of the symbols diminish, so does the innocence of the