Why Does Evil Prevail Over Good Analysis
Why does evil prevail over good?
Lord of the Flies explores the struggle between positive and negative forces within all mankind. It can be interpreted as a criticism of modern society, which sets its foundation in positive initiatives and expects favorable results. Unlike the peaceful state speculated, however, human history has experienced periods of violence and disorder. In Lord of the Flies, this is shown to be the natural direction of mankind, in which evil vanquishes all good intentions. All frameworks of society are therefore largely flawed as it disregards the stronger, dominating side of human nature. But what factors account for this natural phenomena? Through a synthesis of the novel’s characters and symbols, it can be concluded that evil skillfully eats away at positive consciences from within, attacking the weaknesses of resisting forces. …show more content…
All along, the boys have fabricated images of evil. From a snake to the parachute figure to Simon, anything unfamiliar that hinted danger was deemed the Beast and several attempts have been made to physically defeat it. At the culmination of the novel, Simon reaches the revelation of “mankind’s essential illness” (89). “Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill!” said the Lord of the Flies. “You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of you? Close, close, close!’” (143). After confronting the evil within himself, Simon came to understand evil’s ultimate secret. He recognized the beast not as a physical entity, as the boys’ misinterpreted it to be, but as a quality all humans possess. Piggy also comes close to this realization. “I know there isn't no beast—not with claws and all that,” he said, “but I know there isn't no fear either. Unless we get frightened of people” (84). In this statement, Piggy essentially expresses that the Beast only exists if they are “frightened of people”, therefore associating it to
Lord of the Flies explores the struggle between positive and negative forces within all mankind. It can be interpreted as a criticism of modern society, which sets its foundation in positive initiatives and expects favorable results. Unlike the peaceful state speculated, however, human history has experienced periods of violence and disorder. In Lord of the Flies, this is shown to be the natural direction of mankind, in which evil vanquishes all good intentions. All frameworks of society are therefore largely flawed as it disregards the stronger, dominating side of human nature. But what factors account for this natural phenomena? Through a synthesis of the novel’s characters and symbols, it can be concluded that evil skillfully eats away at positive consciences from within, attacking the weaknesses of resisting forces. …show more content…
All along, the boys have fabricated images of evil. From a snake to the parachute figure to Simon, anything unfamiliar that hinted danger was deemed the Beast and several attempts have been made to physically defeat it. At the culmination of the novel, Simon reaches the revelation of “mankind’s essential illness” (89). “Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill!” said the Lord of the Flies. “You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of you? Close, close, close!’” (143). After confronting the evil within himself, Simon came to understand evil’s ultimate secret. He recognized the beast not as a physical entity, as the boys’ misinterpreted it to be, but as a quality all humans possess. Piggy also comes close to this realization. “I know there isn't no beast—not with claws and all that,” he said, “but I know there isn't no fear either. Unless we get frightened of people” (84). In this statement, Piggy essentially expresses that the Beast only exists if they are “frightened of people”, therefore associating it to