Some say that humanity is a choice. That one can choose to lose themselves to an animalistic nature that lies buried within. It is not a choice to be savage, but it is something that is hidden in all people, hidden by the basic and tedious manners that are considered necessary in a high functioning society. In the novel Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding, it definitely seems that the boys lose sight of their humanity and fall prey to the “Horrors underneath” that lay dormant in all humans (Snow). All it took for them to let go was isolation from adults and from their prim and proper way of living. Golding views civilization as “hideously fragile”, which he showcases in the boys’ fairly quick descent to savagery after they are separated
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True hunters hunt with integrity. They do not prolong the suffering of the animal for no reason. When they shoot, they aim to kill for efficiency. When Jack and his “hunters” go after the sow, they are unnecessarily cruel and vicious. They chase her down, and when she stops running, they pounce on her like animals. Roger walked around the pile of hunters and “prodd[ed] with his spear whenever pigflesh appeared” (135). He took every opportunity he could to shed blood and cause the sow pain. It did not take much for Roger to go from stopping himself from hitting little Henry with rocks to needlessly torturing a helpless animal. Jack mercifully cut the sow’s throat and after she died he severed her head and placed it upright on a stick saying it was an offering “for the beast” (137). This paganist ritual practiced by Jack, a sacrifice to an unknown beast, shows his complete abandonment of civilized behavior. Any qualms he had about killing and the beast have been forgotten. He has been consumed by his own inner beast and is too enamored with it to go back to normal. Almost at the same time that Jack is coming to terms with his new self, Simon is learning that the real beast is within all of them. It is not something that can be killed or physically fought because it lives inside all of the boys and it is just waiting to be released. The boys have their celebratory feast, after which they dance around the …show more content…
Of us” (157). No longer is Ralph afraid of the beast in the jungle, in the ocean, or even on the mountains. He has, like Simon, realized that the beast is in all of them and that “there’s not much between [them] and the Horrors underneath” (Snow). He has learned to fear the beast from within. Golding carries a very negative view of the human nature. To him, mere schoolboys can turn into lawless, murderous savages if given the opportunity. All it takes is separation from society and the lack of supervision for humans to display their true, beast-like
True hunters hunt with integrity. They do not prolong the suffering of the animal for no reason. When they shoot, they aim to kill for efficiency. When Jack and his “hunters” go after the sow, they are unnecessarily cruel and vicious. They chase her down, and when she stops running, they pounce on her like animals. Roger walked around the pile of hunters and “prodd[ed] with his spear whenever pigflesh appeared” (135). He took every opportunity he could to shed blood and cause the sow pain. It did not take much for Roger to go from stopping himself from hitting little Henry with rocks to needlessly torturing a helpless animal. Jack mercifully cut the sow’s throat and after she died he severed her head and placed it upright on a stick saying it was an offering “for the beast” (137). This paganist ritual practiced by Jack, a sacrifice to an unknown beast, shows his complete abandonment of civilized behavior. Any qualms he had about killing and the beast have been forgotten. He has been consumed by his own inner beast and is too enamored with it to go back to normal. Almost at the same time that Jack is coming to terms with his new self, Simon is learning that the real beast is within all of them. It is not something that can be killed or physically fought because it lives inside all of the boys and it is just waiting to be released. The boys have their celebratory feast, after which they dance around the …show more content…
Of us” (157). No longer is Ralph afraid of the beast in the jungle, in the ocean, or even on the mountains. He has, like Simon, realized that the beast is in all of them and that “there’s not much between [them] and the Horrors underneath” (Snow). He has learned to fear the beast from within. Golding carries a very negative view of the human nature. To him, mere schoolboys can turn into lawless, murderous savages if given the opportunity. All it takes is separation from society and the lack of supervision for humans to display their true, beast-like