True Human Nature (Criticism of Lord of the Flies) Essay Example
Reading Lord of the Flies, one gets quite an impression of Golding's view
on human nature. Whether this view is right or wrong, true or not, is a
point to be debated. This image Golding paints for the reader, that of
humans being inherently bad, is a perspective not all people share. This
opinion, in fact, is a point that many have disagreed with when reading
his work. There are many instances throughout Lord of the Flies that
state Golding's opinion suggesting an evil human nature. Each of these
instances are the bricks holding together his fortress of ideas that are
constantly under attack.
Lord of the Flies is but an abstract tool of Golding's to construct the
idea of human nature in the minds of his readers. Throughout the novel,
it is stated that all humans are evil. It is said that this evil is
inescapable and will turn everyone evil. At one point in the book, when
the Lord of the Flies is representing all evil, this theory is stated as,
"The Lord of the Flies was expanding like a balloon" (Golding 130). Along
with this idea is the religious symbolism that is used for ineffectively
confronting the evil. At a point in the book, Golding has Simon, symbolic
of Jesus Christ (a Christian deity), confront the Lord of the Flies. This
is a pig's head on a stick that is imagined to talk and represent the evil
in all humans. Simon tries to act and spread the knowledge of this evil
to others but is killed. This is a direct reference to the death of
Christ, alluding to the Holy Bible.
At many points throughout Lord of the Flies, Golding writes for the
characters to become gradually more and more evil. This attribute even
reaches the symbols of goodness and order, such as Ralph. Once, when
Ralph and Piggy go to the feast on Jack's beach, they begin to meld with
the others and their evil ways. "Piggy and Ralph, under the threat of the
sky, found themselves eager to take a place in this demented but partly
secure society"
on human nature. Whether this view is right or wrong, true or not, is a
point to be debated. This image Golding paints for the reader, that of
humans being inherently bad, is a perspective not all people share. This
opinion, in fact, is a point that many have disagreed with when reading
his work. There are many instances throughout Lord of the Flies that
state Golding's opinion suggesting an evil human nature. Each of these
instances are the bricks holding together his fortress of ideas that are
constantly under attack.
Lord of the Flies is but an abstract tool of Golding's to construct the
idea of human nature in the minds of his readers. Throughout the novel,
it is stated that all humans are evil. It is said that this evil is
inescapable and will turn everyone evil. At one point in the book, when
the Lord of the Flies is representing all evil, this theory is stated as,
"The Lord of the Flies was expanding like a balloon" (Golding 130). Along
with this idea is the religious symbolism that is used for ineffectively
confronting the evil. At a point in the book, Golding has Simon, symbolic
of Jesus Christ (a Christian deity), confront the Lord of the Flies. This
is a pig's head on a stick that is imagined to talk and represent the evil
in all humans. Simon tries to act and spread the knowledge of this evil
to others but is killed. This is a direct reference to the death of
Christ, alluding to the Holy Bible.
At many points throughout Lord of the Flies, Golding writes for the
characters to become gradually more and more evil. This attribute even
reaches the symbols of goodness and order, such as Ralph. Once, when
Ralph and Piggy go to the feast on Jack's beach, they begin to meld with
the others and their evil ways. "Piggy and Ralph, under the threat of the
sky, found themselves eager to take a place in this demented but partly
secure society"