“Let us be grateful to the mirror for revealing to us our appearance only,” said Samuel Butler (a Victorian-era English author). This quote reveals that there is much more to a human being than his or her appearance and that humans should be thankful that they cannot see the horrors that are lurking within a person. However, in Lord of the Flies, author William Golding shows the reader, through many characters and objects, the terrors of humanity. One of the most important symbols that reveals the innate nature of evil and the cowardice of humans is the Lord of the Flies.
One of the most important aspects of human nature that the Lord of the Flies, a sow’s head, illustrates is that evil is within everyone and that it is everlasting. In the beginning of the novel, Ralph says, ‘“We can’t have everybody talking at …show more content…
Robert even ‘“stabilized the thing [the sow] in a phrase that was received uproariously. ‘Right up her ass!”’ (135). This violent and unnecessary action shows that evil is present in even the most innocent and civilized people. Also, when Ralph calls for a meeting to discuss about the beast, Simon says, “‘Maybe it’s [the beast] only us [the boys]?’” (89), which also shows that evil is within the boys who were once very innocent and civilized. After the Lord of the Flies is created, Simon stumbles upon it. While Simon is talking to the sow’s head, it says to him, “‘Fancy thinking that the beast was something you could hunt and kill!’” (144). This comment illustrates that the beast (the evil inside the boys) cannot be destroyed. Symbolically speaking, the Lord of the Flies is saying that the evil in a person is everlasting. Several days after Simon’s encounter with the sow’s head, Ralph discovers it. When Ralph finds it, he “nearly flung himself behind a tree … but then he saw the white face was bone and that the pig’s skull
One of the most important aspects of human nature that the Lord of the Flies, a sow’s head, illustrates is that evil is within everyone and that it is everlasting. In the beginning of the novel, Ralph says, ‘“We can’t have everybody talking at …show more content…
Robert even ‘“stabilized the thing [the sow] in a phrase that was received uproariously. ‘Right up her ass!”’ (135). This violent and unnecessary action shows that evil is present in even the most innocent and civilized people. Also, when Ralph calls for a meeting to discuss about the beast, Simon says, “‘Maybe it’s [the beast] only us [the boys]?’” (89), which also shows that evil is within the boys who were once very innocent and civilized. After the Lord of the Flies is created, Simon stumbles upon it. While Simon is talking to the sow’s head, it says to him, “‘Fancy thinking that the beast was something you could hunt and kill!’” (144). This comment illustrates that the beast (the evil inside the boys) cannot be destroyed. Symbolically speaking, the Lord of the Flies is saying that the evil in a person is everlasting. Several days after Simon’s encounter with the sow’s head, Ralph discovers it. When Ralph finds it, he “nearly flung himself behind a tree … but then he saw the white face was bone and that the pig’s skull