Man Born Evil or Not?

Ralph's morality is strong, and his wish is to be rescued and to return to society. In the earlier parts of the book, Ralph does not understand why all the other boys act like barbarians, but as the book continues, Ralph and Simon, come to understand that cruelty exists within all the boys. Ralph continues to be civil, and only once thinks about joining Jack's group to save himself. Ralph's story ends somewhat tragic, because although he is rescued and returned to civilization, he cries with the stress of his new knowledge about the human extent for evil.

Ralph is the complete opposite of the strong-willed, self centered, demanding and selfish Jack who represents barbarism, and violence. From the beginning, Jack desires power above all other things. He is always furious, never obeys orders, and is plain rude. The first time he encounters a pig, he is unable to kill it. But Jack soon becomes obsessed with hunting and dedicates himself to this. The more wild Jack becomes, the more he is able to control the rest of the group. Jack's love of authority and violence are very much connected, as both make him feel powerful.

Whereas Ralph and Jack stand at opposite ends of the spectrum between civilization and savagery, Simon the smart and young boy stands on an entirely different plane from all the other boys. Simon has a spiritual human goodness that is deeply connected with nature. Unlike all the other boys on the island, Simon acts morally not out of guilt or shame but because he believes in morals and values. He behaves kindly toward younger children, and he is the first to realize that monster on the island is not a real beast, but rather evil that lurks within each human being.

The lesson of the story is that the worst evil is within humans, and that violence is not the way to go, because It is violence that turns us into monsters, and it is monsters that destroy. We must be civil to enjoy our life to the fullest, and be mentally peaceful from all negativity.