David Spitz

However, some critics will argue that darkness did not wreak chaos onto mankind; rather, it is humankind that is responsible for its own destruction. According to David Spitz, “If anything were to go wrong, as it tragically did, it could only come, then, from within; the only enemy of man was himself” (Spitz 5). In other words, Spitz believes that darkness did not inflict chaos or conflict in the novel. The true source of the destruction was no one other than mankind who was responsible. If mankind is truly responsible for the collapse of the miniature civilization that the boys’ built, then it can be argued that either mankind has an innate taste for destruction or it is just a part of the flaw of humanity.
Actually, Spitz is not the only