Lord Of The Flies Good Vs Evil

The Lord of the Flies is a book written by William Golding. Throughout the novel, many events occur that strongly associate the natural instinct of members of society living in a civilized manner with the instinct of savagery and evil. The overall concept of the book is about the conflict between good and bad. The two opposite qualities are competing impulses that exist within all humans. The instinct to live by the rules and exist peacefully with others is often in conflict with selfish desires which cause individuals to act violently to achieve supremacy over others, boost one’s ego and enforce their own will. This constant conflict that occurs within a persons mind on a daily basis can be expressed in a number of ways: civilization vs. savagery, order vs. chaos, reason vs. impulse, law vs. anarchy, or the broader heading of good vs. evil.
This novel portrays how the two
sides of humans can in some circumstances overpower the other, inflicting brutal behavior onto others. In the beginning of the book, the boys on the island arrive with hope longing for their rescue from the bloodthirsty hunters that coexist on the island. In the midst of chaos, they continue to be well-behaved and have no malicious intentions. As time passes, they begin to lose their hope as well as their sense of innocence which they once possessed when they first arrived on the island. This loss of innocence is not portrayed as something intentional but instead a natural result from being exposed to the innate evil and savagery shown by the hunters which magnified the evil that has always existed within them. The book implies that civilization can mitigate but never wipe out the innate evil that exists within all human beings. In chapter 1, Jack is afraid of killing the pig because he’s still in touch with the normalities of society. He sheds civilization and adopts a savage personality, becoming ruthless and vile. An example of the progression of aggression and evil in Jack’s behavior was demonstrated through the usage of face paint. “After Jack put on the mask, he began to dance and his laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling” (pg 69), this is evidence that the mask is used as a way to evoke their evil side without mercy because in a way, they are hiding behind the face paint. The mask frees Jack from whatever civilization is left, and under it he unleashes his wicked personality without mercy on others. This also symbolizes how disconnected Jack and the others have become from their old reality. The transformation from civilized bully to savage killer. Jack and the others have become obsessed with hunting at the expense of all else, even rescue.

The novel is written in an allegorical style.
Many of its characters represent important ideas or themes. For example, Jack represents unbridled savagery and the desire for power and Roger represents brutality and bloodlust at their most extreme. Although all the boys on the island are in the same situation, they enjoy mocking Piggy because he is physically inferior. In many cases this appears in bullying. There are examples such as, “’You’re taking too much,’ said Jack Merridew. ‘Shut up, Fatty.’ Laughter arose. ‘He’s not Fatty,’ cried Ralph, ‘his real name’s Piggy!’… a storm of laughter arose…” and “’His specs – use them as burning glasses!’ Piggy was surrounded before he could back away. ‘Here – let me go!’… ‘My specs!’ howled Piggy. ‘Give me my specs!’” In both these instances, the boys took advantage of his physical disadvantage due to his asthma and mocking him for his body image because it’s considered an abnormality. This type of evil was committed to increase the boys own self image and confidence. Placing Piggy below themselves made them feel superior giving them a sense of
leadership.
The evil in the novel could also be portrayed as self-preservation and survival. The progression of their personalities changes as their situation worsens. When the boys got carried away with the desire of killing the beast, they mistook Simon and beat him to his death. The attack was a blur but it’s clear that they found pleasure in Simon’s torture, “Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!” (pg 169), when referring to Simon, who they had mistaken for the beast. Simon’s death was out of bloodthirst and the terrible act is evidently a strong example of the evil that exists naturally as a part of all humans.
Human evil is heavily portrayed in this novel as a complex topic that requires the analyzation of the causes, effects, and manifestations of evil. The conflict between survival and being violent and uncivilized is constantly shown throughout the novel. As the boys stray further away from the hope of being saved, their savagery is increasingly observable.