Essay In Literature Evil Often Triumphs

The quote, “In literature, evil often triumphs but never conquers.” means that in literature, there is always an ongoing struggle between good and evil and although evil may seem to prevail it never fully overpowers good. This idea that good will always prevail over evil in the end is an accurate interpretation of the structure of many literary works. Three particular literary works that display this concept of an always victorious justice are Lord of the flies, Romeo and Juliet, and Of Mice and Men. The first literary work that supports the quote, “In literature, evil often triumphs but never conquers.” is Lord of the flies written by William Golding, first published in 1954. In this novel, evil triumphs over good at certain points in the work but evil does not always come out on top. An example of evil triumphing over good in Lord of the Flies is, “The beast was n its knees in the center, its arms folded over its face. It was crying out against the abominable noise something about a body on the hill. The beast struggled forward, broke the ring and fell over the steep edge of the rock to the
sand by the water.” This quote supports evil triumphing over good because it portrays the murder of a character who symbolizes a savior or Christ figure by the once innocent schoolboys’ who are driven wild by their inner beast. Furthermore, the Christ like figure who represented hope and salvation is trying to save the other boys yet he is ruthlessly murdered by those he is attempting to free from evil. On the other hand, this quote symbolizes good prevailing over evil, “Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man 's heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy.” This quote shows how even though all humanity may have seemed lost in the boys, they still had a bit of good left in them and they let it out with tears of sadness and joy. The second literary work that exhibits this quote is the tragedy Romeo and Juliet written by William Shakespeare. “Gentlemen, for shame! Forbear this outrage! Forbid this brandying in Verona streets.” The irony of this quote is that when Romeo tries to intervene and stop the fight, one of the fighters, Tybalt, seizes the moment of piece to stab Mercutio and kill him. This quote is a direct portrayal of how evil triumphs over good. The quote, “For I will raise her statue in pure gold…There shall no figure at such rate be set as that of true and faithful Juliet.” shows that even through all the tragedy that fate has handed out with the deaths of Mercutio, Tybalt, Romeo, Juliet, Paris, and Lady Montague, the long rivals are ready to bury the hatchet and repent on what they did. Consequently, the families realize that are wrong and their evil ways have brought them misfortune so good must be accepted in order to prevent further sorrow and triumphant evil. The third and final piece of literature that analyzes the quote is Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck.
The quote, “He looked down at her and carefully he removed his hand from over her mouth, and she lay still. “I don’t wan ta hurt you,” he said, but George’ll be mad if you yell.” depicts how Lenny can’t control his strength even when he only wants to make the best out of a situation which is the same concept of evil triumphing over good. An example of how good conquers evil in the end is, “The hand shook violently, but his face set and his hand steadied. He pulled the trigger.” This quote in the novel is the point where George finally brings himself to kill Lenny so as to protect him from the consequences he would face because of his uncontrollable actions. Although George killing Lenny is not exactly a victorious moment, it is a true victory of good over
evil. Often times in literature there is an underlying battle between good and evil and often times evil triumphs but does not conquer. Lord of the flies, Romeo and Juliet, and Of Mice and Men are only a few examples of how this concept of Evil vs. Good is displayed but they each contain very accurate symbolization of the constant battle that can be found in all literature. In final analysis, the notion that evil triumphs but does not fully overpower good is an accurate testimony that can be proven true in any literary work.

Works Cited

Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York: Penguin Books, 1999. Print.
John Steinbeck. Of Mice and Men. New York: Penguin Books, 1965. Print.
Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. Ed. J.A. Bryant, Jr. New York:

The Signet Classics Shakespeare, 1998, Print.