For centuries, philosophers have debated what true human nature entails: goodness, selfishness, or quite possibly a mix of both. In The Lord of the Flies, William Golding represents his beliefs on human nature when boys crash onto a deserted island where the dire circumstances cause them to reveal their inner beast, and enter into a state of savagery. The slow disintegration of societal norms on the island portrays the inherently evil and impulsive nature of humans that is usually masked due to the mold humans are placed into by society.
The original conditioning of the boys, resulting from civilization’s ideals, acts as a conscience to remind them to exhibit socially acceptable behavior. Soon after the boys find themselves on this island, …show more content…
The loss of proper decision making is illustrated when the boys mistaken Simon for a beast, after thunder strikes the island. “At once the crowd surged after it...leapt onto the beast, screamed, struck, bit, tore” (153). Golding uses the word “leapt” to show the instantaneous occurrence of the event. The thunder causes the boys to enter a state of anxiety, where they no longer have the ability to rationalize. Because the boys place a high value on survival, they turn into animals; their first reaction being killing the ‘beast’ that has been a threat to them. The boys instantaneously devolved when their safety was compromised, and through this Golding effectively portrays how humans only have advanced cognitive abilities because it is not necessary for them to constantly fret about their safety in the bubble of society. Being assured that safety is not being threatened, allows humans to remain calm, and use their rational thinking skills. Throughout the book Golding reiterates the idea of humans being impulsive animals on the inside. Society simply causes this inner beast to be masked, to allow everyone to live in
The original conditioning of the boys, resulting from civilization’s ideals, acts as a conscience to remind them to exhibit socially acceptable behavior. Soon after the boys find themselves on this island, …show more content…
The loss of proper decision making is illustrated when the boys mistaken Simon for a beast, after thunder strikes the island. “At once the crowd surged after it...leapt onto the beast, screamed, struck, bit, tore” (153). Golding uses the word “leapt” to show the instantaneous occurrence of the event. The thunder causes the boys to enter a state of anxiety, where they no longer have the ability to rationalize. Because the boys place a high value on survival, they turn into animals; their first reaction being killing the ‘beast’ that has been a threat to them. The boys instantaneously devolved when their safety was compromised, and through this Golding effectively portrays how humans only have advanced cognitive abilities because it is not necessary for them to constantly fret about their safety in the bubble of society. Being assured that safety is not being threatened, allows humans to remain calm, and use their rational thinking skills. Throughout the book Golding reiterates the idea of humans being impulsive animals on the inside. Society simply causes this inner beast to be masked, to allow everyone to live in