Lord Of The Flies Analysis
Julianna Bick
Mrs. Lupe
11 English AP Prep
16 January 2014
The Downfall of Humankind
If our important moral codes in civilization were no longer, would anyone still follow them? This is the major theme in William Golding’s “Lord of the Flies.” Deserted on a remote island from a plane crash, a group of schoolboys initially attempted to collaborate for survival.
However, as time goes on, the hungry mist of savagery seemed to overcome them, and thus began their descent into the dark side of humanity. Robert Ardret, a social scientist, believes that such human behavior is the result of evolution. This is displayed in the “Lord of the Flies,” revealing a glimpse of mankind’s true nature, the hidden and ominous instinct to kill.
Throughout …show more content…
the book, lingering symbols of the hidden evil beneath each one of the boys are prominent. In the beginning, Jack, a boy that challenges their elected leader, Ralph, lures followers from their temporary government to join his rebellious sect. Instead of making a fire, which would have let out smoke to give away their location, they rather went hunting. This is because of their natural attraction and inclination toward the adventurous hunting activities, which symbolized both violence and evil. Dr. Zimbardo, a psychologist and professor, does not define evil as merely an act of wrongdoing, but instead as “the exercise of power in order to psychologically or physically harm another human being.” (Sivak) As time goes on, it becomes apparent that the innocence of these boys evolved into this “evil”.
Despite the schoolboy’s educated and civilized upbringing, the stain of malevolence is very evident.
At the end, Ralph realized that exactly this had happened to his friends and supporters, when their civility had completely washed out. While on the hunt for a boar, Ralph becomes exhilarated by chase, and flings his spear at it, missing. He is thrilled with his marksmanship nonetheless. Although the boar escapes, the boys remain in a frenzy from the outcome of the hunt. They reenact the hunt amongst themselves with a boy named Robert playing the boar. They dance, chant, and poke Robert with their spears, ultimately losing sight of the fact that they are only playing a game. The group nearly kills Robert before they remember themselves. Before this, Robert didn’t understand the other boy’s fascination with doing animal-like things similar to hunting and bullying. But when he joins the boar hunt, Ralph is unable to avoid the instinctive desire to kill and gets caught up in the other boys’ bloodlust. This implies that every person, nonetheless strong their instinct toward civilization and order, has an undeniable, innate drive toward savagery as well. Further in the book, Jack’s new formed tribe becomes stronger in both numbers and intensity, for the boys were tempted by the protection his ferocity seemed to provide. As time goes on, brutality catches fire, with murders to show for it. The Beast, one of the most important symbols of the immorality that lived in every boy unknowing to them, was feared and imaginary. Mistaken for the so called Beast, Simon, who was a caring and sensitive boy, gets violently murdered by the hungry tribe, with the, “tearing of teeth and claws,” while the chanting of,” “Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!” is heard. This unmistakable similarity between a killer ape and Simon’s murderers is impossible to miss. In other words, “Our true nature is unveiled, as our inherent brutality bursts forth in a torrent of savagery and
merciless violence toward other human beings.” (Piven)
The next victim of this merciless crowd was Piggy. Heavyset and intelligent, he was one of the few that had the knowledge of making a stable society. His glasses symbolized the influence of science and intellectual efforts in humanity. This symbolic importance is lucid from the start of the novel, when the boys use the lenses from Piggy’s glasses to focus the sunlight and start a fire. When Jack’s hunters raid Ralph’s camp and steal his glasses, the savages effectively take the power to make fire, leaving Ralph’s group helpless. Before his demise, Piggy called out the savages on their unjust ways, and in response, Roger, one of Jack’s wicked confidants, releases a boulder in Piggy’s direction, knocking him off the cliff and to his death below. This act of violence explains how the evil in these cultured humans were just beneath their consciousness, waiting for the right stimulation and environment to materialize. The fact that there was no clear reason for Piggy’s death besides opposition of ideas, relates to the primitive times of when the killer ape, the human’s ancestor, would fight other apes for the feeling of power and influence. The boy’s actions reflect those of their distant ancestors, which lays out our natural tenancies on display. “Beneath the veneer of civility lurk malice, savagery and the will to slaughter.” This quote said by J.S. Piven portrays the theme in William Golding’s “Lord of the Flies”. Trapped on an island, boys separated from law and order discover the vile contents of their nature. By murdering for the no reason but power, it corresponds to scientist Robert Ardret’s belief that man is a, “natural killer who evolved from a killer ape, not a playful chimpanzee.” The characters’ behaviors in the novel show that without a moral code of law, the instinctive ape-like persona becomes apparent in all of them. This emphasizes that despite evolution in our physical forms, the underlying instinct to kill is still lurking in our minds.
Work Cited
Piven, J. S., Ph.D. "CIVILIZING MASSACRE: LORD OF THE FLIES AS PARABLE OF THE INVENTION OF ENEMIES, VIOLENCE, AND SACRIFICE." Weblog post. Free Associations: Psychoanalysis and Culture, Media, Groups Politics. Freeassociations, May
Sivak, Lauren. "Archives." Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Steppen Wolf, 2013-2014. Web. 16 Jan. 2014.2011. Web. 16 Jan. 2014.
Mrs. Lupe
11 English AP Prep
16 January 2014
The Downfall of Humankind
If our important moral codes in civilization were no longer, would anyone still follow them? This is the major theme in William Golding’s “Lord of the Flies.” Deserted on a remote island from a plane crash, a group of schoolboys initially attempted to collaborate for survival.
However, as time goes on, the hungry mist of savagery seemed to overcome them, and thus began their descent into the dark side of humanity. Robert Ardret, a social scientist, believes that such human behavior is the result of evolution. This is displayed in the “Lord of the Flies,” revealing a glimpse of mankind’s true nature, the hidden and ominous instinct to kill.
Throughout …show more content…
the book, lingering symbols of the hidden evil beneath each one of the boys are prominent. In the beginning, Jack, a boy that challenges their elected leader, Ralph, lures followers from their temporary government to join his rebellious sect. Instead of making a fire, which would have let out smoke to give away their location, they rather went hunting. This is because of their natural attraction and inclination toward the adventurous hunting activities, which symbolized both violence and evil. Dr. Zimbardo, a psychologist and professor, does not define evil as merely an act of wrongdoing, but instead as “the exercise of power in order to psychologically or physically harm another human being.” (Sivak) As time goes on, it becomes apparent that the innocence of these boys evolved into this “evil”.
Despite the schoolboy’s educated and civilized upbringing, the stain of malevolence is very evident.
At the end, Ralph realized that exactly this had happened to his friends and supporters, when their civility had completely washed out. While on the hunt for a boar, Ralph becomes exhilarated by chase, and flings his spear at it, missing. He is thrilled with his marksmanship nonetheless. Although the boar escapes, the boys remain in a frenzy from the outcome of the hunt. They reenact the hunt amongst themselves with a boy named Robert playing the boar. They dance, chant, and poke Robert with their spears, ultimately losing sight of the fact that they are only playing a game. The group nearly kills Robert before they remember themselves. Before this, Robert didn’t understand the other boy’s fascination with doing animal-like things similar to hunting and bullying. But when he joins the boar hunt, Ralph is unable to avoid the instinctive desire to kill and gets caught up in the other boys’ bloodlust. This implies that every person, nonetheless strong their instinct toward civilization and order, has an undeniable, innate drive toward savagery as well. Further in the book, Jack’s new formed tribe becomes stronger in both numbers and intensity, for the boys were tempted by the protection his ferocity seemed to provide. As time goes on, brutality catches fire, with murders to show for it. The Beast, one of the most important symbols of the immorality that lived in every boy unknowing to them, was feared and imaginary. Mistaken for the so called Beast, Simon, who was a caring and sensitive boy, gets violently murdered by the hungry tribe, with the, “tearing of teeth and claws,” while the chanting of,” “Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!” is heard. This unmistakable similarity between a killer ape and Simon’s murderers is impossible to miss. In other words, “Our true nature is unveiled, as our inherent brutality bursts forth in a torrent of savagery and
merciless violence toward other human beings.” (Piven)
The next victim of this merciless crowd was Piggy. Heavyset and intelligent, he was one of the few that had the knowledge of making a stable society. His glasses symbolized the influence of science and intellectual efforts in humanity. This symbolic importance is lucid from the start of the novel, when the boys use the lenses from Piggy’s glasses to focus the sunlight and start a fire. When Jack’s hunters raid Ralph’s camp and steal his glasses, the savages effectively take the power to make fire, leaving Ralph’s group helpless. Before his demise, Piggy called out the savages on their unjust ways, and in response, Roger, one of Jack’s wicked confidants, releases a boulder in Piggy’s direction, knocking him off the cliff and to his death below. This act of violence explains how the evil in these cultured humans were just beneath their consciousness, waiting for the right stimulation and environment to materialize. The fact that there was no clear reason for Piggy’s death besides opposition of ideas, relates to the primitive times of when the killer ape, the human’s ancestor, would fight other apes for the feeling of power and influence. The boy’s actions reflect those of their distant ancestors, which lays out our natural tenancies on display. “Beneath the veneer of civility lurk malice, savagery and the will to slaughter.” This quote said by J.S. Piven portrays the theme in William Golding’s “Lord of the Flies”. Trapped on an island, boys separated from law and order discover the vile contents of their nature. By murdering for the no reason but power, it corresponds to scientist Robert Ardret’s belief that man is a, “natural killer who evolved from a killer ape, not a playful chimpanzee.” The characters’ behaviors in the novel show that without a moral code of law, the instinctive ape-like persona becomes apparent in all of them. This emphasizes that despite evolution in our physical forms, the underlying instinct to kill is still lurking in our minds.
Work Cited
Piven, J. S., Ph.D. "CIVILIZING MASSACRE: LORD OF THE FLIES AS PARABLE OF THE INVENTION OF ENEMIES, VIOLENCE, AND SACRIFICE." Weblog post. Free Associations: Psychoanalysis and Culture, Media, Groups Politics. Freeassociations, May
Sivak, Lauren. "Archives." Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Steppen Wolf, 2013-2014. Web. 16 Jan. 2014.2011. Web. 16 Jan. 2014.