Lord of the Flies

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you left a group of boys on an island with no adult supervision? The classic novel Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, tells the story of a group of boys marooned on a tropical island after their plane is shot down. In an attempt to recreate the culture they left behind, the boys try to create a government for themselves, which ends in disaster. In this novel, Golding gives us a glimpse of the savagery that underlies even the most civilized human beings. This savage and evil nature that consumes the boys' sense of reason is explored at different levels through Ralph, the evil born and controlled by society; Jack, the darkness hidden within humanity; and Roger, the pure evil that lurks out of man.

The evil that resides within Ralph was born from the trends imposed on humans by society. This is most commonly shown in his behavior towards Piggy. "He's not Fatty, his real name's Piggy!" (pg. 27) Ralph acts as if he's superior when he interacts with Piggy, a trait taught to him by society. Often times, society singles out a single person or group of people to look down upon to feel superior and secure. Another evil that we see in Ralph is the pressure imposed on him by society. As Ralph goes to hunt for the beast with Jack and his hunters, they encounter a wild boar which Ralph injures with his spear. "I hit him, and the spear stuck in a bit...I wounded him!" (pg. 162) Ralph starts bragging about how he hit the boar as if he were a hunter. This evil can be seen as peer pressure. Ralph allowed himself to get caught up in the joy of hunting, and for once we get to see him act like a savage. While he and the other hunters are playing a "game", the chant and actions they use to "kill the pig" shows how far they've fallen.

The evil within Jack is seen at the beginning of the book when he is quick to take out his knife, showing he will resort to violence if necessary. When Jack is unable to kill the pig and lets it get away, the savagery within him starts to grow as he becomes more and more obsessed with killing the pig, shown with Jack resorting to animal tracking techniques and using a mask to camouflage his skin. "...and the mask was a thing of its own, behind which Jack hid, liberated from shame and self-consciousness." (pg. 89) He uses the paint to hide from his own conscience, turning him into an anonymous savage who is freed from the restraints of "civilized" behavior. Eventually he and his hunters completely secede from the group on the beach and form their own tribe of savages. They make sacrifices to god-like creatures, kill pigs in senseless bloodlust, and even kill Simon in a ritual thinking him to be the beast. "Kill the pig! Cut his throat! Kill the pig! Bash him in!" (pg. 164) Jack has completely embraced the savage nature in man, becoming a ruthless totalitarian ruler and calling a hunt