William Golding’s main themes within Lord of the Flies are that of the hopelessness of mankind and of evil as an inborn trait of humanity. He shows these themes by using children unacquainted with experience to exhibit the evil within human nature. His characters and objects chosen to represent society and benignity are overcome by their counterparts. The presence of ‘the beast’ is Golding’s way of depicting the manifestation of inborn savagery within humans. Golding used Lord of the Flies to portray his beliefs of inherent evil in humanity and his lack of hope for mankind.
Golding believed that there was no hope for mankind and he shows this through his use of children. After the initial plane crash, it becomes clear that no adults or guardians …show more content…
Golding exhibits his themes with the death of Piggy, Simon’s involvement with the Lord of the Flies, the destruction of the conch and Piggy’s glasses and Ralph’s own descent to savagery. Simon, one of the youngest older boys and the most notable motif of benevolence and natural human goodness is overcome by the Lord of the Flies, who symbolises his antipodal qualities; ‘Simon found he was looking into a vast mouth. There was a blackness within...He fell down and lost consciousness’ (Golding, 1988, p159). Golding symbolises intelligence and logic within civilisation using Piggy and his glasses. Piggy is bullied and insulted from the beginning, the inner cruelty of the boys rising up with insults focusing on his weight and way of speaking soon after they first encounter him. Jack, the leader of the hunters and the eventual instigator of the savage tribe is a representation of chaos, greed and the desire for power. He is at the forefront of Piggy’s humiliation and incites group laughter through breaking Piggy’s glasses after his humiliation at letting the fire go out drives him to violence, Golding’s method of showing the triumph of savagery over logic. Golding further shows the destruction of all that Piggy represents with his death at the hands of Roger, Jack’s second in command and the symbol of pure brutality and
Golding believed that there was no hope for mankind and he shows this through his use of children. After the initial plane crash, it becomes clear that no adults or guardians …show more content…
Golding exhibits his themes with the death of Piggy, Simon’s involvement with the Lord of the Flies, the destruction of the conch and Piggy’s glasses and Ralph’s own descent to savagery. Simon, one of the youngest older boys and the most notable motif of benevolence and natural human goodness is overcome by the Lord of the Flies, who symbolises his antipodal qualities; ‘Simon found he was looking into a vast mouth. There was a blackness within...He fell down and lost consciousness’ (Golding, 1988, p159). Golding symbolises intelligence and logic within civilisation using Piggy and his glasses. Piggy is bullied and insulted from the beginning, the inner cruelty of the boys rising up with insults focusing on his weight and way of speaking soon after they first encounter him. Jack, the leader of the hunters and the eventual instigator of the savage tribe is a representation of chaos, greed and the desire for power. He is at the forefront of Piggy’s humiliation and incites group laughter through breaking Piggy’s glasses after his humiliation at letting the fire go out drives him to violence, Golding’s method of showing the triumph of savagery over logic. Golding further shows the destruction of all that Piggy represents with his death at the hands of Roger, Jack’s second in command and the symbol of pure brutality and