lord of the flies essay jack evil

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Lord of the flies – character essay on jack.

Choose a novel with a character who you find fascinating. With reference to the text show how the writer made the character fascinating.

William Golding’s The Lord of the Flies is a novel in which Jack is a fascinating character. In the book a group of boys are stranded on a desert island and must work out how to survive. Golding makes Jack a fascinating character as he makes him change from a darling little boy into a terrifying and reckless young man. We can explore how this change takes place.

At the start of the book Jack is clearly still confined by society’s rules and still wants to be seen as good. We know this as in the scene where he catches a pig he struggles to kill it and we’re told ““he hadn’t because of the enormity of the knife descending and cutting into living flesh”. Here, the word choice of ‘enormity’ tells us that Jack finds killing the pig a big deal, he struggles to murder a living thing as he’s never done this before. The description of the knife ‘descending’ reinforces this as even though the knife is traveling a short distance to Jack it feels like an eternity as he tries to commit a big act of killing. The words ‘living flesh’ shows Jack still empathises with the pig and doesn’t want to kill it. At this point it is clear Jack still wants to follow normal rules and thinks that hurting things is wrong.

Jack begins to change slowly and develops a crazy and violent side. We see this when his hunting job starts to take over his mind and we are told Jack had a “compulsion to track down and kill things that was swallowing him up”. The word ‘compulsion’ suggests that this feeling is not something Jack has any control over; it is almost instinctive for him or a crazy addiction. This is reinforced by the idea that this feeling was ‘swallowing’ him up, it was a feeling or thought that was taking over his life and killing a pig became the only thing he could think about. There’s a possibility that Jack became so fixated as he felt like a failure and less masculine for failing to kill the pig in the first place and now wants to kill one to prove he is a man. This makes Jack fascinating as it is difficult to understand how someone could want to kill something, or be so fixated on that, unless they were going crazy in some way.

Jack does finally manage to kill a pig but all this seems to do is make him madder and badder. He leads a group of boys after they kill the pig and starts a war dance around the carcass chanting “Kill the pig, cut her throat, spill the blood”. This is quite a disturbing scene, the boys appear far too young for such ferocious actions. The chant shows how savage they have become under Jack’s instructions. The words ‘cut’ and ‘spill’ are quite visceral and forceful and the boys are acting far more maturely and savagely than we’d expect them to. This makes Jack seem fascinating as he is now convincing the other boys to become savages too.

Jack’s behaviour develops again when he begins to challenge Ralph’s authority on the island. When the boys are discussing who will go up the mountain and find the beast Jack says he will go and yells at Ralph “coming?” This is clearly asked in a challenging and mocking tone. Jack doesn’t believe Ralph will go up the mountain because he is too scared and Jack will be able to prove to the boys that he should be their brave new leader. This is fascinating because we see Jack try to manipulate the situation so he can wrestle control from Ralph and lead the group.

Jack finally gets what he wants and becomes the chief of all the boys. However his control of them is through fear rather than love and we are told he was “the boy who controlled them” which is best seen when he interacts with Roger – “Jack had [Rodger] by the hair and was brandishing a knife”. The word ‘controlled’ suggests that Jack is a massive dictator but the ‘boy’ suggests that his leadership is immature. The scene with Roger is worrying as it shows Jack dominating the other boys through force and threat. This is fascinating as we see Jack reach the worst version of himself all caused by being on an island without rules.

In conclusion, Golding creates a fascinating character in Jack by making his personality develop from a reasonably pleasant boy to one who begins to challenge authority and eventually become the authority on the island. He is a brute force who has been included to show what happens if the rules are taken away. Jack is the little savage in all of us.

6 thoughts on “Lord of the Flies – Character essay on Jack”

WOW AMAZING!!! thank you so much!

thank you soo much this helped a ton!! you pointed out so many different things that i didnt notice when reading the book!

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Evil in “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding Essay

The Lord of the Flies is a fiction novel by William Golding which takes place during a chaotic war. A group of schoolboys crash land on a deserted island and develop a faulty hierarchy in the strive to survive. The characters, including leader Ralph, antagonist Jack, the kind Piggy, and innocent Simon go through varying journeys of the human spirit in which they contend with and ultimately fall prey to the effects of chaos and violence. The book shows us what an environment of savagery and survival instincts does to the character, and how we all have the ability to exceed the boundaries of both righteousness and destructiveness. Ultimately, we conclude that the latent human character is neutral and that a person’s behavior is a reaction to the environment she or he is surrounded by. Though William Golding does not profess the idea that man is born evil, the concept of man’s innate potential for evil is central to the novel.

From The Lord of the Flies, we can devise Golding’s belief that man is born neutral. The idea is that we are born with both the capacity of good and the capacity of evil and that the way we are raised, or the environment in which we live determines how we act. This shows the power of outside sources and the pliability of our own character. Literature constantly explores the potential in man to commit the greatest evils and the greatest good. Lord of the Flies puts this discourse in an even more riveting context by testing the characters of a group of proper English children who carry the stereotype and literary reputation

Through the devolving of his characters, Golding shows that the capacity for evil lies in all beings and appears when nurtured by the environment. Ralph, Jack, Simon, and all the boys on the island come from a proper English background. They were raised in a world of boundaries, customs, and propriety. As the story continues and the environment becomes more and more brutal, the change in the boys becomes evident. Golding uses antagonist Jack to symbolize this transition from structured human behavior to the more instinctual savagery that the majority of the boys end up exhibiting. At one point, Golding describes the frenzy of killing a sow through the perspective of Jack: “His mind was crowded with memories; memories of the knowledge that had come to them when they closed in on the struggling pig, the knowledge that they had outwitted a living thing, imposed their will upon it, taken away its life like a long satisfying drink” (Golding 92). In contrast to the other boys, Jack has become violent, enraged with bloodlust, and savage. The others in the group chide him for letting the rescue fire go out, ” ‘You and your blood, Jack Merridew! You and your hunting! We might have gone home…” (Golding 93). This shows the contrast between environments. Even though they are all living in the same conditions, Jack is the first and most severe to fall into chaos because he is put in charge of hunting and becomes immersed in the act. Simon, a symbol of purity and humanity despite the barbaric conditions, witnesses the vision of the “Lord of the Flies” when finding the sow’s head on a stake. Simon sees that “There was blackness within, a blackness that spread” (Golding 201). Simon, the purest of the group, is the only one to fully understand the hold that this evil had on the boys. This scene depicts Golding’s ultimate judgment of mankind: that the potential for evil lies within us all, just as does the potential for good and that the environment affects us and determines the development of our personality.

Lord of the Flies takes us on the often harrowing exploration of the nature of the human soul. Like much of literature, Golding’s work shows the true condition of man, that we can not avoid the capacity for evil, but that we can also all embrace our ability to do good. Lord of the Flies is integral to our literary understanding of the fight between good and evil. From this story, we can reflect on our own capacity and how our environment affects both the behaviors we act on now, and those we will act on in the future.

Works Cited

Golding, William. Lord of the Flies (1959). Faber and Faber Ltd: London.

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Bibliography

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• Human Nature in "Lord of the Flies" by Golding
• "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding
• Symbolism in “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding
• Lord of the Flies, an Allegorical Novel by William Golding
• Literature Studies: "Lord of the Flies" by W. Golding
• Lord of the Flies: Novel Analysis
• SOW, Performance, and Planning
• Writing on the Novel I Love: Lord of the Flies
• The Battle against Chaos and Challenging Inequities
• Why the Boys Preserve Their Goals in Lord of Flies by Golding
• “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” by C. S. Lewis
• Charles Dickens: "Great Expectations"
• "Paula Spencer" by Roddy Doyle
• "Othello" by William Shakespeare: Military Honor and Othello
• The Clown Is the Wise Man in Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night”

• Lord of the Flies

William Golding

• Literature Notes
• Major Themes
• Lord of the Flies at a Glance
• Book Summary
• About Lord of the Flies
• Character List
• Summary and Analysis
• Character Analysis
• Character Map
• William Golding Biography
• Critical Essays
• Concept, Identity, and Manifestations of the Beast
• Golding's Use of the Fable Structure
• Famous Quotes
• Film Versions
• Full Glossary
• Essay Questions
• Practice Projects
• Cite this Literature Note

Critical Essays Major Themes

Problem of Evil

Lord of the Flies was driven by " Golding 's consideration of human evil, a complex topic that involves an examination not only of human nature but also the causes, effects, and manifestations of evil. It demands also a close observation of the methods or ideologies humankind uses to combat evil and whether those methods are effective. Golding addresses these topics through the intricate allegory of his novel.

When Lord of the Flies was first released in 1954, Golding described the novel's theme in a publicity questionnaire as "an attempt to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature." In his 1982 essay A Moving Target , he stated simply "The theme of Lord of the Flies is grief, sheer grief, grief, grief." The novel ends of course with Ralph grieving the indelible mark of evil in each person's heart, an evil he scarcely suspected existed before witnessing its effects on his friends and supporters. The former schoolboys sought unthinkingly to dominate others who were not of their group. They discovered within themselves the urge to inflict pain and enjoyed the accompanying rush of power. When confronted with a choice between reason's civilizing influence and animality's self-indulgent savagery, they choose to abandon the values of the civilization that Ralph represents.

This same choice is made constantly all over the world, all throughout history — the source of the grief Golding sought to convey. He places supposedly innocent schoolboys in the protected environment of an uninhabited tropical island to illustrate the point that savagery is not confined to certain people in particular environments but exists in everyone as a stain on, if not a dominator of, the nobler side of human nature. Golding depicts the smallest boys acting out, in innocence, the same cruel desire for mastery shown by Jack and his tribe while hunting pigs and, later, Ralph. The adults waging the war that marooned the boys on the island are also enacting the desire to rule others.

Ironically, by giving rein to their urge to dominate, the boys find themselves in the grip of a force they can neither understand nor acknowledge. The Lord of the Flies tells Simon "Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill!" and then laughs at the boys' efforts to externalize their savagery in the form of an animal or other fearsome creature. Simon has the revelation that evil isn't simply a component of human nature, but an active element that seeks expression.

Outlets for Violence

Most societies set up mechanisms to channel aggressive impulses into productive enterprises or projects. On the island, Jack's hunters are successful in providing meat for the group because they tap into their innate ability to commit violence. To the extent that this violence is a reasoned response to the group's needs (for example, to feed for the population), it produces positive effects and outcomes. However, when the violence becomes the motivator and the desired outcome lacks social or moral value beyond itself, as it does with the hunters, at that point the violence becomes evil, savage, and diabolical.

Violence continues to exist in modern society and is institutionalized in the military and politics. Golding develops this theme by having his characters establish a democratic assembly, which is greatly affected by the verbal violence of Jack's power-plays, and an army of hunters, which ultimately forms a small military dictatorship. The boys' assemblies are likened to both ends of the social or civil spectrum, from pre-verbal tribe gatherings to modern governmental institutions, indicating that while the forum for politics has changed over the millennia, the dynamic remains the same.

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Lord of The Flies - Is Jack Evil?

The title says it all, 'Lord of the Flies' in Hebrew is Satan. The evil, the evil within us all.  As we can deduct from this tital the book with have darker elements to the narrative. This book about boys trapped on an island is named after evil incarnate.

Once you start to read the book the title makes no sense, over the first few pages you notice no sinister hidden meanings and evil behaviour on any of the boys part. Yet as you turn the pages a picture is created for you, one of savage behaviour and brutal consequences. This book explores authority and mankind's urges to resort to savagery when there is lack of it. This essay will explore the question,  

"Is Jack evil when he arrives at the island, or does he become evil?"

Jack is a major character of the book, he starts off as a traditional authoritarian figure leading his choirboys along the beach in their robes.

"The creature was a party of boys, marching approximately in step in two parallel lines and dressed in strangely eccentric clothing."

"The boy who controlled them was dressed in the same way though his                             cap was golden"

From the start Jack wields power over people, we have to take this into account when you look at his behaviour later in the book, at the start he is a leader, and Ralph takes this leadership away from him, he offers him a token of friendship 'The Hunters'. This proves to be one of Ralph's greatest mistakes, once Jack controls his choir as a band of hunters he has absolute power and soon turns them against Ralph.

,        

"I ought to be chief, said Jack with a simple arrogance, "Because I'm a chapel chorister and head boy. I can sing C sharp"

"Well then, said Jack "I-"        

His desire to be Chief was clearly evident in his first appearance. When the idea of having a Chief was mentioned Jack spoke out immediately. He led his choir by administering nmdif discipline resulting in forced obedience from the cloaked boys. His moment of triumph Jack is just about to assert his authority when the good natured ralph bumbles in.  This moment is the first clash of power.  The book in its self is one titanic power struggle.  His ill nature was well expressed through his impoliteness of saying,

"Shut up, Fatty."    

However, despite his unpleasant personality, his lack of courage and his conscience prevented him from killing the first pig they encountered.

"They knew very well why he hadn't: because of the enormity of the knife descending and cutting into living flesh; because of the unbearable blood."

Even at the meetings, Jack was able to contain himself under the leadership of Ralph. He had even suggested the implementation of rules to regulate themselves.

This is a preview of the whole essay

This was a Jack who was proud to be British, and who was shaped and still bound by the laws of a civilised society.   The freedom offered to him by the island»allowed Jack to express the darker sides of his personality that he hid-t from the ideals of his past environment. Without adults as a superior and - -" responsible authority, he began to lose his fear of being punished for improper actions and behaviours.

This freedom coupled with his malicious and arrogant personality made it possible for him to quickly degenerate into a savage. He put on paint, first to camouflage himself from the pigs. But he discovered that the paint allowed him to hide the forbidden thoughts in his mind that his facial expressions otherwise betray.

"The mask was a thing on its own behind which Jack hid, liberated from shame and self-consciousness."

Through hunting, Jack lost his fear of blood and of killing living animals. He reached a point where he actually enjoyed the sensation of hunting a prey afraid of his spear and knife. His hunting of pigs brought out his natural desire for blood and violence. As Ralph became lost in his own confusion, to assert himself as chief.

The boys realising that Jack was a stronger and more self-assured leader gave in easily to the freedom of Jack's savagery. Placed in a position of power and with his followers sharing his crazed hunger for violence, Jack gained encouragement to commit the vile acts of thievery and murder.

"We don't want you," Jack had said to Piggy."

Piggy was like an observer learning from the actions of others. His status in their society allowed him to look at the boys from an outsider's Perspective.

Jack uses Piggy not as a regular bully, he humiliates him for power, and the pleasure of being able to isolate him from other people, this isn't evil it is just natural child behaviour that is brought out stronger because the island effects them so much.

Jack was a spiteful boy at the start, he was a bully, a petty tyrant who ruled &s little choir with insults and name calling. Liberated from authority he created his own "rules".

"We'll have rules" "Lots of them!"

"whoever breaks them..."

Jack is the first to create order, but does not keep it. Ultimately Jack is a child he cannot stand not being the most important person.

Gradually, Ralph became confused and began to lose clarity in his thoughts and speeches.        

"Ralph was puzzled by the shutter that flickered in his brain. There was something he wanted to say; then the shutter had come down."

He started to feel lost in their new environment as the boys, with the exception of Piggy, began to change and adapt to their freedom. As he did not lose his sense of responsibility, his viewpoints and priorities began to differ from the savages.        

He was more influenced by Piggy than by Jack, who in a way could be Viewed as a source of evil. Even though the significance of the fire as a rescue signal was slowly dismissed, Ralph continued to stress the importance of the fire at the mountaintop. He also tried to re-establish the organisation.  That had helped to keep the island clean and free of potential fire hazards. This difference made most of the boys less convinced of the integrity of his views.  Jack issolated him more and more, after all every power needs an anti power to fight against.

I believe that Jacks natural hatred towards Piggy's imperfect figure combined with Ralph's apparent liking of the character brought about his eventual, destruction. Notice that you never know the true name of Piggy, he is referred through the whole book, from the start to his death as Piggy, an animal of sorts ready for slaughter. I think this symbolises mankind's need for a victim whether he is nameless or not, he   was enraged that Ralph preferred Piggy to him, even though it is never clear until Jack has turned on Ralph whether Piggy and him are even friends.

I see the fire as a glint of "hope, of civilisation, of organisation that if they could have worked together like they did on the first day, every thing would be fine, that they could make a new society free from the oppression of grown ups. Unfortunately the fire is slowly disregarded and only Simon, Ralph and Piggy are unaffected by the growing storm.        

As his supporters became fewer and Jack's insistence on being chief grew, his strength as a leader diminished. But even though Ralph had retained much of his past social conditioning, he too was not spared from the evil released by the freedom from rules and adults. During the play fight after their unsuccessful hunt in the course of their search in the island for the beast, Ralph for the first time, had an opportunity to join the hunters and share their desire for violence.

"Ralph too was fighting to get near, to get a handful of that brown, flesh."

Though even Ralph is unaffected towards the end, he is wrapped up in the pleasure of the kill, nerstill remains connected but Jack's bearing savagery has converted everyone away from the 'Flame' of society and into the dark jungles.

The deaths of Piggy and Simon mark the height of Jacks growing insanity; obsessed now with blood and the hunt. Roger kills Piggy and they in a group   kill Simon, a frenzy of sorts. Both of the victims were the only ones unaffected, Simon meets the devil himself on the way back from that dark mountain, and he knows the truth, there is no beast only the evil in the hearts of them, the evil of boys.  The devil takes the form of a boars head, the hunters, the primal urges a sybol of the destruction we let loose when we lose control.

Whilst Piggy looks at things in a clear scientific view and is answered back with abuse and in the end death. Roger a hunter, a psychotic from the start you can see the evil of his character he is the one always with   Jack, always on the hunt, always ready for the kill. The deaths of two innocents mark the end of the fire, the end of the conch the symbol of meeting. It means the end of society on the island, the end of law and the rule of justice.

In conclusion I think Golding knew exactly what boys are like, he made us see a compelling story, with vivid realism which tells a tale of the   disintergration  of a civilisation under the pressure of blood and savagery and a bloody climax. The book shows the fear of the dark in men's hearts, the loss of innocence, that society can easily be undone, that some times the people, with the most knowledge are shunned. Most of all it tells a tale of Jack, a boy turned into an evil savage, the most shocking of all the aspects in the book.

By James Goddardll.SJ

Document Details

• Word Count 1677
• Page Count 5
• Subject English

Related Essays

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Good and evil in Lord of the Flies

Good and Evil in Lord of The Flies

For years many years people have argued that we as humans know right from wrong and are not naturally evil. William Golding’s Lord of the Flies is a novel that tells the story of a group of English schoolboys stranded on a tropical island after their plane is shot down during the war. With no adults surviving the boys have to make choices within themselves and together that help them survive with each other while they figure a way to get home. William Golding’s Lord of the Flies explores the struggle of good versus evil through the use of symbolism, religious allegories and conflicts within themselves and between each other.

Jack and Ralph are the two main characters that all the boys follow but they are complete opposites.Ralph symbolizes the good within and Jack represents man’s inner evil.’Jack is tall, thin, bony: in a word, ugly. He is the evil man, the boy devil. He is associated with Satan through his red hair; his anger, rage, and cursing; and the snake and swine images applied to him’.This quote shows what William Golding believed in which is everybody has an inner evil, and Jack is the character that expresses inner evil the most making him a devil like figure.’ Ralph has the requirements to be the hero and the representative of good.’.This quote tells that Ralph is a good person no matter if he is just a man he done a lot of good things which make him the character that express the good in people. What Ralph and Jack symbolize changes the way they think about different situations and how they act leading for them to contradict in most cases showing the struggle of good versus evil. Good versus evil is a very prominent theme throughout the book Lord of the Flies and in some parts of the novel it is expressed by using religious allegories. The beast and Simon are two characters who have been connected to characters who act similar in the bible.

For instance Simon is connected to Jesus because they both have many similarities when it comes to what happen to them. ‘Many critics have attempted to read Simon as a Christ figure; he is the one boy who has the true knowledge which can save them. Like Christ, he is martyred. Unlike Christ, however, his death seems to have no significance for the boys; his knowledge dies with him.’ This quote shows the relation between Simon and Christ as a religious allegory it connects them and how they were both silenced with knowledge.

The beast is the another character who is connected to the bible but the beast is read as the devil. ‘And it is the beast–the beast that is part of all men. The materialization of this devil coincides with the emergence of savage evil in the boys, revealed in the acts that they commit.’ This quote shows the that the beast was put into the story to play the part as the devil for the sole purpose of bringing out the inner evil in each of the boys. Religious allegory plays a big part in this story by connecting characters and relating them to the bible. Simon and the beast conflict because Simon’s christ like actions and the beast’s devil like actions leading both of them to represent the struggle between good vs. evil.

Good versus evil is a theme that is seen from the beginning to the end of the novel and internal conflicts helps further the story and aids the expression of good versus evil in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. One of the biggest signs of an internal struggle is after the murder of Simon. ‘That was Simon.’ ‘You said that before.’ ‘Piggy.’ ‘Uh?’ ‘That was murder,’. In this quote, we see Ralph realizing the weight of their actions, the reality of them which is a heavy internal burden and conflict. The evil act that they took part in weighs most on the characters that are more good then they are evil like Piggy and Ralph.

Another example of an internal struggle is Jack wanting to kill the pig so much’He tried to convey the compulsion to track down and kill that was swallowing him up. ‘I went on. I thought, by myself-‘ The madness came into his eyes again,’ This quote marks the beginning of Jack’s internal decline into evil and savagery, a problem he struggles with internally. It begins with the need to catch and kill the pig.William Golding’s Lord of the Flies is a story that explores the struggle between good versus evil through symbolism, religious allegory and internal conflict. Inherent good and evil, is a topic that has been debated for centuries, and is sure to be debated in the future. We may never all agree on one true definition for good and evil. We may never even agree on whether good and evil both truly exist.

However, the important thing is to realize that what Golding was trying to warn us against is a real problem. All of the boys on the island are tempted by evil, but not all of them give in to the craving.

However, along with the evil that lies within all people, there is also a touch of goodness, suggesting that all people have the free will to choose their destiny. Through the boys actions Golding shows us that everyone is born with and inner evil and the actions we take decide if we.

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Themes and Analysis

Lord of the flies, by william golding.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a powerful novel. It's filled with interesting themes, thoughtful symbols, and a particular style of writing that has made it a classic of British literature.

About the Book

Article written by Lee-James Bovey

P.G.C.E degree.

Several key themes are prevalent throughout the book. It is sometimes referred to as a “book of ideas” and these ideas are explored as the plot unfolds.

Lord of the Flies Themes

The impact of humankind on nature.

This is evident from the first chapter when the plane crashing leaves what Golding describes as a “scar” across the island. This idea is explored further in the early chapters the boys light a fire that escapes their control and yet further diminishes what might be considered an unspoiled island. Some interpret the island almost as a Garden of Eden with the children giving in to temptation by slaughtering the animals there. The final chapter furthers the destruction of nature by mankind as the whole island appears to have been ruined thanks to the effects of the boy’s presence on the island.

Civilization versus savagery

This can be seen throughout as the boys struggle with being removed from organized society. To begin with, they cope well. They construct a form of government represented by the conch that theoretically draws them together and gives them all a voice. As they break away from society this adherence to the rules they have constructed is evident. Golding’s ideas of what savagery is might be outdated and rooted in colonial stereotypes but they are evident for all to see as the boys use masks to dehumanize themselves and their increasing obsession with hunting leads to an increasingly animalistic nature.

Nature of humanity

Perhaps the biggest underlying theme is the idea of the true nature of mankind. Golding explores the idea that mankind is innately evil and that it is only the contrast between society and civilization that prevents that nature from being prevalent. Of course, this overlooks that civilization is a human construct and if all men’s biggest motivation were their inner evil, then that construct would never have existed. Golding’s views largely spring from his role in the navy where he was witness to the atrocities of war but are also informed by his work as a teacher.

Analysis of Key Moments in Lord of the Flies

There are many key moments in ‘ Lord of the Flies ‘ that highlight the boy’s descent into savagery.

• Blowing the conch – this introduces us to the conch which acts as a symbol of society and civilization throughout the novel. It is both the device that brings the children together and in theory the object which allows them all to have a say and therefore run a democratic society.
• The fire gets out of control – This shows the effects that the boys are already having on the island. It also demonstrates how lost the boys are without adults there to guide them as they lose one of the boys and nobody even knows his name.
• Jack fails to kill the pig/Roger throws stones – both of these events show how the boys are currently constrained by the expectations of society. We see as time passes these restraints are lifted and that firstly, Jack can kill a pig and finally, and perhaps more dramatically, Roger is not only okay with hitting somebody with a stone but taking their life with one.
• The hunters put on masks – By covering up their faces, they seem to become free from the constraints of society. It is if it liberates them from humanity and allows them to act on more primal, animalistic urges.
• Sam and Eric find “the beast” – When Sam and Eric feel they have discovered the beast it sets a ripple of panic throughout. This fear sways the boys towards Jack’s leadership as he continues to manipulate the situation to his advantage. If not for this then Simon might never be murdered.
• Creating of the Lord of the Flies – Successfully killing the pig is itself an iconic moment but then leaving a pigs head on a pole is both a gruesome image (one worthy of the book’s title) and also plays a pivotal role in Simon’s story arc.
• Simon’s death – Simon is the one character who never seems to succumb to primal urges and therefore his death if looked at symbolically could be seen as the death of hope for boys.
• Piggy’s death – Piggy’s character represents order and reason. With his death, any chance of resolving the issues between Jack and Ralph vanishes. The conch being smashed at the same time is also symbolic and represents the complete destruction of society.
• The rescue – This is not the happy ending that one might expect with all the boys crying due to their loss of innocence. There is an irony as well as the boys will not be rescued and taken to a Utopia but rather to a civilization plagued by a war that mirrors the war zone they have just left.

Style, Literary Devices, and Tone in Lord of the Flies

Throughout this novel, Golding’s style is straightforward and easy to read. There are no lengthy passages nor does he choose particularly poetic words to describe the events. His writing is powerful without these stylistic devices. The same can be said for his use of literary devices. When used, they are direct. For example, the use of symbolism (see below) and metaphor is very thoughtful but not hard to interpret.

William Golding also employs an aloof or distant tone throughout the book. This reflects the way that the boys treat one another.

Symbols in Lord of the Flies

The conch shell.

The conch shell is one of the major symbols of this novel. It’s used from the beginning of the novel to call the boys together for meetings on the beach. It’s a symbol of civilization and government. But, as the boys lose touch with their civilized sides, the conch shell is discarded.

The Signal Fire

The signal fire is a very important symbol in the novel. It’s first lit on the mountain and then later on the beach with the intent of attracting the attention of passion ships. The fire is maintained diligently at first but as the book progresses and the boys slip farther from civilization, their concentration on the fire wanes. They eventually lose their desire to be rescued. Therefore, as one is making their way through the book, gauging the boys’ concentration on the fire is a great way to understand how “civilized” they are.

The beast is an imaginary creature who frightens the boys. It stands in for their savage instincts and is eventually revealed to be a personification of their dark impulses. It’s only through the boy’s behaviour that the beast exists at all.

What are three themes in Lord of the Flies ?

Three themes in ‘ Lord of the Flies ‘ are civilization vs. savagery, the impact of humankind on nature, and the nature of humanity.

What is the main message of the Lord of the Flies ?

The main message is that if left without rules, society devolves and loses its grasp on what is the morally right thing to do. this is even the case with kids.

How does Ralph lose his innocence in Lord of the Flies ?

He loses his innocence when he witnesses the deaths of Simon and Piggy. These losses in addition to the broader darkness of the island change him.

About Lee-James Bovey

Lee-James, a.k.a. LJ, has been a Book Analysis team member since it was first created. During the day, he's an English Teacher. During the night, he provides in-depth analysis and summary of books.

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Bovey, Lee-James " Lord of the Flies Themes and Analysis 🏝️ " Book Analysis , https://bookanalysis.com/william-golding/lord-of-the-flies/themes-analysis/ . Accessed 4 April 2024.

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Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Lord of The Flies — Man’s Inherent Evil In The Lord Of The Flies By William Golding

Man’s Inherent Evil in The Lord of The Flies by William Golding

• Categories: Lord of The Flies William Golding

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Words: 546 |

Published: Nov 8, 2019

Words: 546 | Page: 1 | 3 min read

Humans' Inherent Evil In The Lord of the Flies

• Giri, P. K. (2019). William Golding's Lord of the Flies: A Study of Evil in Man. The Batuk, 5(1), 52-58. (https://www.nepjol.info/index.php/batuk/article/view/27924)
• Sobh, M. A. A., Al Khamaiseh, A. Z., & Al-Zoubi, S. M. (2022). The Symbolic Representation of Evil and Good in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. International Journal of Applied Linguistics and English Literature, 11(1), 21-24. (http://journals.aiac.org.au/index.php/IJALEL/article/view/7192)
• Gindin, J., & Gindin, J. (1988). The Fictional Explosion: Lord of the Flies and The Inheritors. Macmillan Modern Novelists: William Golding, 20-37. (https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-349-18987-8_3)
• Sundström, N. (2001). Human nature as depicted in Lord of the Flies and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. (http://ltu.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2%3A1022729&dswid=-7972)
• Juranková, M. (2016). Savagery in The Inheritors and the Lord of the Flies by William Golding. (https://dspace.cuni.cz/handle/20.500.11956/76911)

Should follow an “upside down” triangle format, meaning, the writer should start off broad and introduce the text and author or topic being discussed, and then get more specific to the thesis statement.

Provides a foundational overview, outlining the historical context and introducing key information that will be further explored in the essay, setting the stage for the argument to follow.

Cornerstone of the essay, presenting the central argument that will be elaborated upon and supported with evidence and analysis throughout the rest of the paper.

The topic sentence serves as the main point or focus of a paragraph in an essay, summarizing the key idea that will be discussed in that paragraph.

The body of each paragraph builds an argument in support of the topic sentence, citing information from sources as evidence.

After each piece of evidence is provided, the author should explain HOW and WHY the evidence supports the claim.

Should follow a right side up triangle format, meaning, specifics should be mentioned first such as restating the thesis, and then get more broad about the topic at hand. Lastly, leave the reader with something to think about and ponder once they are done reading.

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