Examples Of Evil In Lord Of The Flies

Evil in Lord of the Flies

Evil is a description of something that causes harm, discomfort, repulsion and injury to another. The statement ‘man produces evil as a bee produces honey’ is relevant in the understanding of human nature. Bees produce honey as it is a natural instinct and in that same way, humans produce evil. Humans only produce evil naturally and do not produce goodness. Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a clear representation of a group of boys regressing to their animal states because of the evil they produce naturally. Evil takes on many forms in this novel primarily though the need for power, the absence of rules and the increasing distance from society. Through the uses of allegory, foreshadowing and symbolism Golding
Jack and Ralph are the biggest boys on the island. Ralph is elected leader, which angers Jack. After being elected leader Ralph suggests “‘Jack’s in charge of the choir. They can be- what do you want them to be?’ ‘Hunters’” Ralph sets up to be a good leader as he takes into account the needs and desire of his group. Because of Jack’s thirst for power, he starts persuading the others that Ralph is not a suitable leader so he can become Chief. He says, “‘Who are you, anyway? Sitting there telling people what to do. You can’t hunt, you can’t sing-’ ‘I’m chief. I was chosen.’ ‘Why should choosing make any difference? Just giving orders that don’t make sense-’” Golding creates an allegory symbolising Ralph as a democrat who is given power and Jack as an autocrat who takes power. Ralph became a true leader by taking responsibility for the survival and rescue of the boys. Jack, on the other hand, offers fun and meat to get his power but is willing to harm or kill to keep it. Jack’s desire for power develops into evil actions against the other boys. When Jack is in power, he leads the brutal slaughter of a pig and then Simon. He fosters rebellion. He throws a spear at Ralph “with full intention” and later holds a group hunt to kill him. Jack is plainly committing evil to show his authority. Since evil is an act that harms, Jack brings
A symbol in the novel that represents the boys’ need to recreate their civilisation is the conch shell. The conch shell symbolizes the rule of law and civilization. It's used to call assemblies and acts as a microphone that grants the right to speak to whomever holds it during assembly. The conch is the one thing of the island which brought order and respect to the boy holding it. The destruction of the conch represents the obliteration of any order on the island. Once the conch was destroyed, the island was in chaos. Jack who has now completely regressed into a savage animal ‘began screaming wildly, “the conch is gone.” Viciously… he hurled his spear at Ralph.’ This shows they have forgotten about civilisation and have turned savage. Savagery is another form of evil and is brought out because of the distance from