Human Nature in Lord of the Flies Essay

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Human Nature in Lord of the Flies

Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, is a captivating narrative in which the reader lives through the trials and tribulations of a society set up and run by a group of marooned British teens. Golding believes that the basic nature of the individual is evil. The group ultimately proves this thesis by their actions. The evils of the individual are shown through the actions of the group’s hunter Jack, the murders of two members of the society, Simon and Piggy, the attempted murder of the group’s leader Ralph, and the ultimate destruction of the island.

Jack has a natural longing to be number one, he was not satisfied with being the leader of the hunters, and this ultimately caused many of
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Simon is the only member of the group who realizes that the monster is actually a spreading fear through the group. It is an internal monster, a monster of greed and a struggle for power. “Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!” (152). This is what they were chanting while they killed Simon. It shows how violent and evil the kids were.

Piggy is the intellectual and inventive member of the group. His role as Ralph’s lieutenant eventually leads to his death. Again because of his loyalty to Ralph, Jack has him killed. Piggy is killed by Jack’s assistant Roger with a bolder. “Which is better-to have rules and agree, or to hunt and kill” (180). These were Piggy’s last words. They did not care what Piggy said though. They were too stubborn to listen and because of it, Piggy died.

Ralph is the one that tries to civilize the boys and in this effort he eventually becomes the hunted member of the group. Jack in his quest for power turns the boys against
Ralph and tries to have him murdered. Ralph’s life is only spared by the coming of a navy ship, which saw the island on fire. He could hear them crashing in the undergrowth and on the left was the hot, bright thunder of fire. He forgot his wounds, his hunger, and thirst, and became fear; hopeless fear on flying feet...(199-200)

This shows how heartless the kids were. They

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