Defects of Human Nature: One of the numerous flaws in human nature which is illustrated in "Lord of the Flies" is the reluctance of admitting one's mistakes.
Human nature can be defined as being the psychological characteristics of humankind which are understood to be shared by all human beings. In the novel "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding, the flaws of human nature are explored in detail. When critics asked Golding about the theme of the novel, he replied, "The theme is an attempt to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature" (p. 204). He believes that political systems cannot govern society effectively without first taking into consideration the defects of human nature. One of the numerous flaws in human nature which is illustrated in "Lord of the Flies" is the reluctance of admitting one's mistakes.
The characters in this novel are of young age, the oldest being around 12 or 13 years old. This leaves room for many mistakes to be made, as young children are bound to make mistakes. It is human nature to deny mistakes, and to instead blame mishaps on others. In the beginning of "Lord of the Flies", when the first meeting is held, Piggy suggests a head count to keep track of everyone, especially the "littluns." Ralph and Jack dismiss this idea by making fun of Piggy instead of taking his comment into consideration. There was a little child that talked about a "snake-thing" (p. 35). He is only distinguished by a mark on his face. The other boys laugh at the child and write off the idea as a nightmare. Later, when the boys are looking for wood, they come across a snake-pit. It is then when Piggy realizes that the small boy with the mark on his face is gone. "That little'un that had a mark on his face--where is--he now? I tell you I don't see him--where is he now?" (p. 46-47) Piggy reprimands the other boys for not listening him and taking a head count. Instead of admitting his mistake, Ralph shamefully mumbles an excuse: "Perhaps he went back to the, the--" (p.47). Ralph and Jack also blame the incident on Piggy who was put in charge of the "names." However, it is not Piggy's fault because
The characters in this novel are of young age, the oldest being around 12 or 13 years old. This leaves room for many mistakes to be made, as young children are bound to make mistakes. It is human nature to deny mistakes, and to instead blame mishaps on others. In the beginning of "Lord of the Flies", when the first meeting is held, Piggy suggests a head count to keep track of everyone, especially the "littluns." Ralph and Jack dismiss this idea by making fun of Piggy instead of taking his comment into consideration. There was a little child that talked about a "snake-thing" (p. 35). He is only distinguished by a mark on his face. The other boys laugh at the child and write off the idea as a nightmare. Later, when the boys are looking for wood, they come across a snake-pit. It is then when Piggy realizes that the small boy with the mark on his face is gone. "That little'un that had a mark on his face--where is--he now? I tell you I don't see him--where is he now?" (p. 46-47) Piggy reprimands the other boys for not listening him and taking a head count. Instead of admitting his mistake, Ralph shamefully mumbles an excuse: "Perhaps he went back to the, the--" (p.47). Ralph and Jack also blame the incident on Piggy who was put in charge of the "names." However, it is not Piggy's fault because