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William Golding's Lord Of The Flies

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William Golding's Lord Of The Flies
William Golding stated in a radio broadcast that “the boys are suffering from the terrible disease of being human”. Explain how this pessimistic assessment of human nature is constructed in “Lord of the Flies”. What indicators are there of “a light at the end of the tunnel”, that is, of any signs of hope for the future of humanity?

The novel ‘Lord of the flies’ is a text by William Golding which deals heavily with underlying themes of an evil that lives in the heart of all of mankind. The novel does indeed portray the idea of the boys suffering from ‘the terrible disease of being human’, and this is suggested at various instances throughout the text. There are also references to a light at the end of the tunnel through the appearance of the character Simon. Throughout the novel, …show more content…
This shows that even the strongest of men can be reduced to tears at the thought of humankind and its ways.

To conclude, the pessimistic nature of man is constructed throughout the novel in the form of various acts and metaphors representing the different social statuses of the boys on the island, such as face paint representing savagery, and naked faces and the conch represent civilization. However, there is also some ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ depicted through the uncorrupted characters of Simon and Piggy. Though ultimately killed, their existence shows that perhaps there is still hope for mankind, despite its humane sickness. The ever changing dance of opposites between good and evil is finally resolved on the island, but as Ralph realizes, the darkness of man’s heart will never be
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