An Evaluation of Lord of the Flies
Sam Brandt
English 10 Honors
Ms. Hedrick
8 October 2010
Fundamentally Virtuous As Swiss psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung once said, “As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of a mere being.” In other words, man’s purpose in life is to help one another find the good in a world of malevolence. In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, it becomes apparent to the reader the contrast in shades between the good and the bad. Each person here on Earth has two parts of his or her being: light and dark. It is the side people choose which defines them. Take for example Ronald Reagan. He could have easily continued with his successful career as a movie star. But instead, he chose to move into the realm of politics, where greed and corruption rule. His mission? To be the voice for those who have none, and to fight for the common good of our nation. The world would be perfect if everyone chose the light side. But like a classic movie, if there is a ‘good guy’, there must also be a ‘bad guy’. And so a divide is created. Humanity must speak up for what is right and moral, see the goodness in everything, and to realize that each small random act of kindness is equal to many unkind acts. Therefore, one must agree that human nature is essentially good. On any given day at any given time, someone is committing a random act of kindness. This is anything from helping pick up someone’s spilled books to defending animal rights in front of a large crowd. In Lord of the Flies, the majority of the events are melancholy and violent. But here and there, the author slips in a few small things that counteract the cruel, showing that even the smallest things can make a difference. For example, when Simon is walking to his secret spot on the island, he stops to help the littluns’ get fruit. Simon also lends a hand to Piggy when Jack refuses to give him meat, so he gives his portion to Piggy. Or when Ralph, after winning the
English 10 Honors
Ms. Hedrick
8 October 2010
Fundamentally Virtuous As Swiss psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung once said, “As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of a mere being.” In other words, man’s purpose in life is to help one another find the good in a world of malevolence. In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, it becomes apparent to the reader the contrast in shades between the good and the bad. Each person here on Earth has two parts of his or her being: light and dark. It is the side people choose which defines them. Take for example Ronald Reagan. He could have easily continued with his successful career as a movie star. But instead, he chose to move into the realm of politics, where greed and corruption rule. His mission? To be the voice for those who have none, and to fight for the common good of our nation. The world would be perfect if everyone chose the light side. But like a classic movie, if there is a ‘good guy’, there must also be a ‘bad guy’. And so a divide is created. Humanity must speak up for what is right and moral, see the goodness in everything, and to realize that each small random act of kindness is equal to many unkind acts. Therefore, one must agree that human nature is essentially good. On any given day at any given time, someone is committing a random act of kindness. This is anything from helping pick up someone’s spilled books to defending animal rights in front of a large crowd. In Lord of the Flies, the majority of the events are melancholy and violent. But here and there, the author slips in a few small things that counteract the cruel, showing that even the smallest things can make a difference. For example, when Simon is walking to his secret spot on the island, he stops to help the littluns’ get fruit. Simon also lends a hand to Piggy when Jack refuses to give him meat, so he gives his portion to Piggy. Or when Ralph, after winning the
Cited: Tear Down This Wall! Wikipedia, 7 October 2010. Web. 6 October 2010. East Germany. Wikipedia, 6 October 2010. Web. 6 October 2010. Ronald Reagan. Wikipedia. 6 October 2010. Web. 6 October 2010. Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York: Penguin Group, 2006. Print.