Good And Evil In Lord Of The Flies By William Golding
Throughout history is has always been debated rather or not humans are inherently good or inherently bad. It was once thought that people were born either bad or born good. I don’t not think this is true I believer that people are bad because of murder and the mob mentality that develops in a crowd.
William Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies shows that people are generally bad because of a long to kill that lives inside everyone. This longing is not something that is seen in everyone until they are presented with the right circumstances, of pressure and stress. In the book you see very clearly right away that this trait brews inside Jack. His long to hunt is what dives him crazy he lusts to kill something so bad that he spends every waking
hour thinking about it. Eventually his desire surpasses pigs and the result is the death of Simon. I don’t think you would have seen this inside of him if he had not on the island. He was the head of the choir boys and he felt the stress of being a good leader get the best of him. When he snaps the death of Simon results. But is wasn’t only one that killed Simon. Everyone surrounding the pow-wow took part. Partly because of the pressure to fit in. The trait of murder is one of the reasons that humans are seen as bad in Lord of the Flies.
You can see how throughout society humans are bad through this murderous trait as well. The holocaust is a perfect example from history. There were eleven million people that died during this time period. The soldiers that committed these murders suffered from the same external forces that caused the death of Simon. The pressure of society and stress of following orders from commanding officers. If you did not do what they said you would be executed as well. That would put tremendous stress on someone. It didn’t matter if you wanted to take part in this massacre or not it was your orders and you had to follow them. And it just went up the chain of command everyone taking orders and not stand up for the victims. This is why the holocaust is a perfect example why humans are bad.
Another way that Golding shows humans are bad is though the mob mentality that occurs on the island. This burst of unity isn’t always a bad thing but it can turn violent quick. Every single child joined in with a mob some time or another. The first activity that took place was the starting of the signal fire. Everyone was hustling to gather wood, but no one stopped to think that the liluns needed to be taken care of and watched. Through all of the commotion the kid with the birthmark gets lost and probably perished. Another mob that took place was the hunt for Ralph. Everyone was just listing to Jack who was not thinking rationally. The whole group was hunting for blood. Eventually the whole island gets set on fire, which if they had not gotten rescued could have been their demise. In a mob no one thinks clearly and people get hurt or worse killed which you can see in this novel.
In society Golding’s views of mob mentality being a reason why people are bad are seen not only in the day to day actives of the world, but also throughout history. During the civil rights movement the biggest mob found was the Ku Klux Klan. They acted senselessly murdering and harassing African Americans. They went on marches in Washington just so they can bully our leaders in siding with them. Another example is whenever there is a natural disaster. If people were actually good they would ban together and help those who are hurt, but instead they go and loot the city. A mob is dangerous nonmatter what the cause and it is the main reason people are bad.
I believe that humans are bad when they are put under the right circumstances. Throughout history you can find support for this. It is also seen in the novel Lord of the Flies. There is an evil inside all of us hopefully it doesn’t come out all at once.
William Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies shows that people are generally bad because of a long to kill that lives inside everyone. This longing is not something that is seen in everyone until they are presented with the right circumstances, of pressure and stress. In the book you see very clearly right away that this trait brews inside Jack. His long to hunt is what dives him crazy he lusts to kill something so bad that he spends every waking
hour thinking about it. Eventually his desire surpasses pigs and the result is the death of Simon. I don’t think you would have seen this inside of him if he had not on the island. He was the head of the choir boys and he felt the stress of being a good leader get the best of him. When he snaps the death of Simon results. But is wasn’t only one that killed Simon. Everyone surrounding the pow-wow took part. Partly because of the pressure to fit in. The trait of murder is one of the reasons that humans are seen as bad in Lord of the Flies.
You can see how throughout society humans are bad through this murderous trait as well. The holocaust is a perfect example from history. There were eleven million people that died during this time period. The soldiers that committed these murders suffered from the same external forces that caused the death of Simon. The pressure of society and stress of following orders from commanding officers. If you did not do what they said you would be executed as well. That would put tremendous stress on someone. It didn’t matter if you wanted to take part in this massacre or not it was your orders and you had to follow them. And it just went up the chain of command everyone taking orders and not stand up for the victims. This is why the holocaust is a perfect example why humans are bad.
Another way that Golding shows humans are bad is though the mob mentality that occurs on the island. This burst of unity isn’t always a bad thing but it can turn violent quick. Every single child joined in with a mob some time or another. The first activity that took place was the starting of the signal fire. Everyone was hustling to gather wood, but no one stopped to think that the liluns needed to be taken care of and watched. Through all of the commotion the kid with the birthmark gets lost and probably perished. Another mob that took place was the hunt for Ralph. Everyone was just listing to Jack who was not thinking rationally. The whole group was hunting for blood. Eventually the whole island gets set on fire, which if they had not gotten rescued could have been their demise. In a mob no one thinks clearly and people get hurt or worse killed which you can see in this novel.
In society Golding’s views of mob mentality being a reason why people are bad are seen not only in the day to day actives of the world, but also throughout history. During the civil rights movement the biggest mob found was the Ku Klux Klan. They acted senselessly murdering and harassing African Americans. They went on marches in Washington just so they can bully our leaders in siding with them. Another example is whenever there is a natural disaster. If people were actually good they would ban together and help those who are hurt, but instead they go and loot the city. A mob is dangerous nonmatter what the cause and it is the main reason people are bad.
I believe that humans are bad when they are put under the right circumstances. Throughout history you can find support for this. It is also seen in the novel Lord of the Flies. There is an evil inside all of us hopefully it doesn’t come out all at once.