Who Is The Beast In Lord Of The Flies
As Albert Einstein once said “Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.” In The Lord of the Flies, a fictional story by William Golding, imagination did just that. It transformed a dark and mysterious action and adventure, into a Beast. In the minds of almost all of the stranded boys, the Beast is a tangible source of evil on the island. However, in reality, it represents the evil naturally present within everyone who lives life without a moral code. As the normal code on the island dies, life on the island to deteriorate into the beast.
In the beginning the beast was in everyone’s minds. Its presence could be felt when the island was described “Behind this was the darkness of the forest” (Golding, 10). The Beast was always on the island but not yet completely felt. Later on in the book, the Beast is foreshadowed in Jack’s band, “something dark was fumbling along” (Golding, 19). With …show more content…
this description we get the feeling that Jack is the evil, however it is not directly shown, yet.
Deep into the story line, after many growing concerns about the Beast we get a real indication that it is present and thriving. The island inhabitants kill a human because they were scared it was the Beast. They acted on fear, without thinking. This marks a changing point in the story where the evil is coming out in everyone and the island morals are diminishing. Jack takes most of the island’s boys and makes a new group with the promise to kill and hunt. Now, the boy’s desire to be rescued is less significant than their want for blood.
Jacks group steals Piggy’s glasses, essentially blinding him.
Jack did this to start fire. Not just physical fire, but the Beast in him wanted to spark mental fire and conflict between the groups. He knew that Ralph would come to get the glasses back. Jack and his group have develop a lust for conflict. When Rodger kills Piggy while trying to steal back his glasses the Beast wins. It wins because the Beast has taken control of everyone. This is backed up by the fact everyone is involved in hunting down Ralph. Everyone would have had a part in knowingly killing him if he was caught. Unlike when they killed Simon, they aren’t trying to kill Ralph out of fear. They are trying to kill him because they want to. They have completely become the Beast.
As time passes in the story, the boys purge their moral codes enabling the Beast to embody more people. The island inhabitants grow more savage, and barbaric. Golding’s main theme isn’t exclusive to the fictional characters in the book. As society loses the structure of moral code, the Beast will enter
everyone.
In the beginning the beast was in everyone’s minds. Its presence could be felt when the island was described “Behind this was the darkness of the forest” (Golding, 10). The Beast was always on the island but not yet completely felt. Later on in the book, the Beast is foreshadowed in Jack’s band, “something dark was fumbling along” (Golding, 19). With …show more content…
this description we get the feeling that Jack is the evil, however it is not directly shown, yet.
Deep into the story line, after many growing concerns about the Beast we get a real indication that it is present and thriving. The island inhabitants kill a human because they were scared it was the Beast. They acted on fear, without thinking. This marks a changing point in the story where the evil is coming out in everyone and the island morals are diminishing. Jack takes most of the island’s boys and makes a new group with the promise to kill and hunt. Now, the boy’s desire to be rescued is less significant than their want for blood.
Jacks group steals Piggy’s glasses, essentially blinding him.
Jack did this to start fire. Not just physical fire, but the Beast in him wanted to spark mental fire and conflict between the groups. He knew that Ralph would come to get the glasses back. Jack and his group have develop a lust for conflict. When Rodger kills Piggy while trying to steal back his glasses the Beast wins. It wins because the Beast has taken control of everyone. This is backed up by the fact everyone is involved in hunting down Ralph. Everyone would have had a part in knowingly killing him if he was caught. Unlike when they killed Simon, they aren’t trying to kill Ralph out of fear. They are trying to kill him because they want to. They have completely become the Beast.
As time passes in the story, the boys purge their moral codes enabling the Beast to embody more people. The island inhabitants grow more savage, and barbaric. Golding’s main theme isn’t exclusive to the fictional characters in the book. As society loses the structure of moral code, the Beast will enter
everyone.