Lord Of The Flies Good Vs. Evil

3 Pages 739 Words

Lord of the Flies: The Evil Within

The novel Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, used a group of British boys beached on a deserted island to illustrate the malicious nature in mankind. Lord of the Flies deals with the changes the boys undergo as they gradually adapt to the freedom from society. William Golding’s basic philosophy is that man is inherently evil. He also expresses how symbolism and irony in such instances as the death of Simon, the beast within the boys, and the way Ralph was fervently hunted.
Golding conveys symbolism as a valued technique throughout the chapters. One of the major key points of symbolism is the death of Simon. This corresponds to the loss of religious reasoning. Simon is mistaken as “the beast” and beaten to death. Jack’s tribe vigorously chants, “Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!” (152). Here, Simon had crawled out of the forest and the ring had opened to let him inside. As the boys killed Simon, they let out their savage urges and acted in a cannibalistic manner. Even after the death of Simon, Jack and his tribe did not feel any remorse to what they had done; killing to them had become second nature. “Only the beast lay still, a few yards from the sea” (153). After finally realizing that the supposed “beast” is actually Simon, a sudden storm arises and the group disbands for shelter. The storm subsided and the tides moved in and out, Simon’s body was washed out to sea.
In this novel, society is communicated as symbolic and even ironic. One example referring to Golding’s view of society is the beast. The beast which lay within the boys represents the evil that dwells inside humanity. He believes that savagery is always in mankind, but need the proper situation to come out and cause a transformation of even the most innocent of us. For the boys the fear of the unknown on the island causes the terror of the beast. This ironic fear is a...