Ethical Issues In Lord Of The Flies Essay

William Golding once said that, “the shape of a society must depend on the ethical nature of the individual and not on any political system however apparently logical or respectable” (186). He believes that problems with society can be traced “back to the defects of human nature” (186). In Lord of the Flies, Golding uses two boys from the traditionally socially rigid country of England to illustrate the idea that, if left unchecked, the animalistic nature that resides deep within the hearts of human beings will overcome society’s rules and mores. The characters in the novel are left to their own devices on an uninhabited island and must form their own political system. The true ethical nature of the boys, representative of humans in general, becomes more noticeable as time passes. Ralph is the example of civilization and democracy while Jack is the epitome of savagery and animal behavior.

The novel opens with a scene of two young boys on an island after a plane crash in the sea. These boys, Ralph and Piggy, make their way across the isolated island and find a small pool of warm water near a large, pink granite rock. After they find a conch, Ralph blows into it; the noise draws boys from all over the island who are also
Simon has a sort of psychotic episode where the pig’s head - who is referred to as “the Lord of the Flies” (138) - speaks to him. The Lord of the Flies says, I’m the Beast. Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill! You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of you? Close, close, close! I’m the reason why it’s no go? Why things are the way they are? We are going to have fun on this island! (143-144) The Beast is not some animal that disappeared in the morning, turning “into them things like ropes in the trees” (36). Rather, the Beast is the animal nature within all humans, simply waiting for a chance to