Evil in Lord of the Flies Essay Example

Evil in Lord of the Flies Essay Example Evil in Lord of the Flies Paper Evil in Lord of the Flies Paper Essay Topic: Lord Of the Flies Evil is a description of something that causes harm, discomfort, repulsion and injury to another. The statement man produces evil as a bee produces honey Is relevant in the understanding of human nature. Bees produce honey as It is a natural Instinct and In that same way, humans produce evil. Humans only produce evil naturally and do not produce goodness. Lord of the Flies by William Gilding Is a clear representation of a group of boys regressing to their animal states because of the evil they produce naturally. Evil takes on many forms In this novel primarily though the need for power, the absence of rules and the Increasing distance from society. Through the uses of allegory, foreshadowing and symbolism Gilding states that evil Is a part of human nature as honey Is a part of a bees nature. One of the forms evil takes In this novel Is through power and corruption wealth Jack, contrasting with the leadership and direction Ralph provides. Jack and Ralph are the biggest boys on the island. Ralph is elected leader, which angers Jack. After being elected leader Ralph suggests in charge of the choir. They can be- what do you want them to be? Hunters- Ralph sets up to be a good leader as he takes into account the needs and desire of his group. Because of Jacks thirst for power, he starts persuading the others that Ralph is not a suitable leader so he can become Chief. He says, Who are you, anyway? Sitting there telling people what to do. You cant hunt, you cant sing- Im chief. I was chosen. Why should choosing make any difference? Just giving orders hat dont make sense- Gilding creates an allegory symbolizing Ralph as a democrat who is given power and Jack as an autocrat who takes power. Ralph became a true leader by taking responsibility for the survival and rescue of the boys. Jack, on the other hand, offers fun and meat to get his power but is willing to harm or kill to keep it. Jacks desire for power develops into evil actions against the other boys. When Jack is in power, he leads the brutal slaughter of a pig and then Simon. He fosters rebellion. He throws a spear at Ralph with full intention and later holds a group unit to kill him. Jack is plainly committing evil to show his authority. Since evil is an act that harms, Jack brings out the evil within himself and also the evil within his tribe. Another form evil takes is in Roger because of the absence of rules. Roger was tempted to throw the stones but because of the rules In England, he was taught that harming others was wrong. Through the civilization, Roger was taught how to condone his evil. Roger gathered a handful of stones and began to throw them. Yet there was a space around Henry Into which he dare not throw. Here Invisible yet strong, was the taboo of the old life. Through the absence of rules, Roger Is free to do what he wants. This means there wont be a Limitation of how he uses his evil. When Roger throws stones In the direction of the lotuses, he uses It to show he does not need to follow rules. As the novel progresses, Rorers evil Instincts take over and he forgets the existence of rules and proper behavior. The quote Roger, with a sense of delirious abandonment, leaned all his weight on the lever The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee, shows this. Right before Pigs death, he better, law and rescue, or hunting and breaking up things? By killing Piggy, the last reminder of the need for rules and civilized behavior is lost. The constant motif of rock throwing foreshadows the death of Piggy. To kill someone is the highest degree of committing evil. Roger is an example of how the boys reverted to their animal origins since the primal instinct of evil lead him to kill. Due to the increasing distance o society, the boys lose their morals and their human sense of what is right and become savages. A symbol in the novel that represents the boys need to recreate their civilization is the conch shell. The conch shell symbolizes the rule of law and civilization. Its used to call assemblies and acts as a microphone that grants the right to speak to whomever holds it during assembly. The conch is the one thing of the island which brought order and respect to the boy holding it. The destruction of the conch represents the obliteration of any order on the island. Once the conch was destroyed, the island was in chaos. Jack who has now completely regressed into a savage animal began screaming wildly, the conch is gone. Viciously He hurled his spear at Ralph. This shows they have forgotten about civilization and have turned savage. Savagery is another form of evil and is brought out because of the distance from civilization. Man produces evil Just as a bee produces honey. The thirst for power, the absence of rules and the distance from civilization are the sparks that trigger the inner evil within humans. Gilding uses a political allegory to compare the ways in which Ralph and Jack rule. Gilding foreshadows the untimely death of Piggy through the recurring theme of throwing rocks and finally he uses the symbol of the conch shell to signify that the rules are broken and the boys have forgotten where they came from and who they are. Lord of the Flies is a novel that is relevant to us since it teaches us that every man is born with evil and that the only way it can be slightly suppressed is by the rules of society. When there are no rules, evil emerges from humans.