Evil: A Literary Analysis of the Folly of Man
Anne Frank was once quoted as saying “I still believe that people are really good at heart” (Frank 72.) Although this claim is cited to be correct as a general fact of life, many find human nature to be quite the contrary. Humans are despicable, destructive beings. Human nature is inherently evil, as depicted in the short story “The Lord of the Flies” and its use as a biblical allegory, including references to Genesis, and Apocalypse. In the end, human nature will triumph, evil will overcome, and any form of savior of Messiah, is merely an illusion, as ultimately, they perish.
Human tendency is to slip towards inhumanity; as our instinctual emotions are rage, hatred and evil. In “The Lord of the …show more content…
In “The Lord of the Flies” no one achieves salvation. Simon and Piggy, who are the pure forms, and the last cling to conformity on the island, are both killed brutally, in an act of savagery. This is an analogy for how human's hopes for salvation are destroyed when basic necessities and the need to fight for your life arises. (Marijke 5) In the classic movie series "Star Wars" there are two main sides, supposedly representing "good" and "evil" respectively. The "Jedi" are a group of warriors who fight for the "Light" side, and believe that suppressing your emotions is the only way to achieve the light side. (Decker + Eberl) On the contrary, the "Sith" are the "dark" side, embracing their emotions such as passion, hatred, and jealousy. (Decker + Eberl) However, in the movies, the Jedi's consistently make mistakes, almost always after bouts of intense emotion. Humanity, in every story, is driven by hateful, and malefic emotions. In the award-winning book, and Oscar winning movie "Gone Girl." the main character is put in a compromising situation where he truly sees the worst of what society can conjure. At the end, there is no conflict resolution, and the main character is in the same exact situation he was in the beginning, only highly aware of the deceit and grotesque abilities that exist in this life. In the Bible, the devil takes the form of a serpent, and tempts …show more content…
All throughout history, beacons of reason and light have sprouted and attempted to shepherd, and lead the "sheep" through the harsh enigma that is our world. Although these people may seem to be of a higher knowledge, or of a greater grace, ultimately all these people have one thing in common. They are killed by the very thing they are trying to stop. Take Martin Luther King Jr. for instance. A renowned reverned, speaker, and leader of the Civil Rights movement in the U.S.A. in the 1950's and 60's. His goal was to eliminate racism and end the conflict between "White America" and "Colored America." Many people consider his work a success, while if one would take a look at modern day America, it may appear his work was for naught. Modern race crimes, such as the Baltimore Riots, Ferguson Shootings, and countless upon countless acts of racially biased offenses committed by white police officers against minorities, many would say his goals for peace were not reached. Black and White violence is at an all time high, according to the DOW Statistics on Race and Violent Crime. (Taylor) However, if you dive deeper into the social workings of humans, many will tend to gravitate towards their race, and be spiteful towards others not similar to them. Leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, who worked to end social class tensions in India seems to have led his brigade for nothing. Current day India, while having
Anne Frank was once quoted as saying “I still believe that people are really good at heart” (Frank 72.) Although this claim is cited to be correct as a general fact of life, many find human nature to be quite the contrary. Humans are despicable, destructive beings. Human nature is inherently evil, as depicted in the short story “The Lord of the Flies” and its use as a biblical allegory, including references to Genesis, and Apocalypse. In the end, human nature will triumph, evil will overcome, and any form of savior of Messiah, is merely an illusion, as ultimately, they perish.
Human tendency is to slip towards inhumanity; as our instinctual emotions are rage, hatred and evil. In “The Lord of the …show more content…
In “The Lord of the Flies” no one achieves salvation. Simon and Piggy, who are the pure forms, and the last cling to conformity on the island, are both killed brutally, in an act of savagery. This is an analogy for how human's hopes for salvation are destroyed when basic necessities and the need to fight for your life arises. (Marijke 5) In the classic movie series "Star Wars" there are two main sides, supposedly representing "good" and "evil" respectively. The "Jedi" are a group of warriors who fight for the "Light" side, and believe that suppressing your emotions is the only way to achieve the light side. (Decker + Eberl) On the contrary, the "Sith" are the "dark" side, embracing their emotions such as passion, hatred, and jealousy. (Decker + Eberl) However, in the movies, the Jedi's consistently make mistakes, almost always after bouts of intense emotion. Humanity, in every story, is driven by hateful, and malefic emotions. In the award-winning book, and Oscar winning movie "Gone Girl." the main character is put in a compromising situation where he truly sees the worst of what society can conjure. At the end, there is no conflict resolution, and the main character is in the same exact situation he was in the beginning, only highly aware of the deceit and grotesque abilities that exist in this life. In the Bible, the devil takes the form of a serpent, and tempts …show more content…
All throughout history, beacons of reason and light have sprouted and attempted to shepherd, and lead the "sheep" through the harsh enigma that is our world. Although these people may seem to be of a higher knowledge, or of a greater grace, ultimately all these people have one thing in common. They are killed by the very thing they are trying to stop. Take Martin Luther King Jr. for instance. A renowned reverned, speaker, and leader of the Civil Rights movement in the U.S.A. in the 1950's and 60's. His goal was to eliminate racism and end the conflict between "White America" and "Colored America." Many people consider his work a success, while if one would take a look at modern day America, it may appear his work was for naught. Modern race crimes, such as the Baltimore Riots, Ferguson Shootings, and countless upon countless acts of racially biased offenses committed by white police officers against minorities, many would say his goals for peace were not reached. Black and White violence is at an all time high, according to the DOW Statistics on Race and Violent Crime. (Taylor) However, if you dive deeper into the social workings of humans, many will tend to gravitate towards their race, and be spiteful towards others not similar to them. Leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, who worked to end social class tensions in India seems to have led his brigade for nothing. Current day India, while having