Human Nature In Lord Of The Flies Essay

Words: 1136

Pages: 5

Open Document

In the book “ Lord of the Flies” William Golding shows that human nature is basically evil through the symbolism he uses. The entire novel is full of hidden meaning, and many of the items and people are facets of human nature. Most of the symbols represent either good or bad characteristics, and because the theme of the novel is evil human nature, the symbols that represent evil become more prevalent than the ones that represent good. The symbols that represent good include: the conch and the platform. The representations that have evil connotations are: the Pig’s head and the beast.

The conch and the platform all essentially represent the same thing and their abandon or destruction contribute to the theme of the novel. These two things …show more content…
The conch was the thing that brought all the boys together,“Ralph found his breath and and blew a series of short blasts.” The place where they all came together was the platform. For a brief moment in the span of the book there is unity among the boys, because of the conch and the platform. Ralph is able to keep the boys in check, by using the conch as his power, and the platform where he made his decisions. This general peace just sets a stark contrast for the end of the novel. The conch is slowly disregarded as Jack rises to power. This is shown when Jack says,“The conch doesn't count on top of the mountain.” What is also somewhat interesting is when he uses the conch to achieve his own gains,“Jack held out his hands for the conch and stood up….” I think that Golding is trying to show that the evil human nature that we all have will twist the good things around itself to its own advantage. Jack uses the conch when he starts to take control. When he eventually has all the power and no longer needs it he treats it as nothing. “When I saw Jack I was sure he’d go for the conch…,”; I

Human Nature In Lord Of The Flies Essay

“Human nature can be modified to some extent, but human nature cannot be changed”-by Abraham Lincoln. Lord of the Flies is a novel written by William Golding, which purpose is to emit the true nature of human beings. A novel which advanced quickly from innocent young children craving for a mother's touch to barbaric killing savages. Many of the events throughout the novel lead many critics to believe that Golding’s main themes are that there is no hope for mankind, or evil is an inborn trait of mankind…

Words 723 - Pages 3

Lord of the Flies Civics Essay

Lord of the Flies Essay Lord of the Flies? Does it have anything to do with governmnet? Some people will probably say it has nothing to do with government, but it does. Lord of the Flies contains ideas about Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, two political theorists who had two diffrent views of human nature. In the book Lord of the Flies, you can also find how the children make their own government and also what type or types of governments are used. Like stated before Hobbes and Locke had two…

Words 736 - Pages 3

Essay about Human Rights and Golding

Essay: Golding Golding expresses many messages through his book ‘lord of the flies.’ When we examine the title itself we see a lot of meaning behind it. ‘Lord of the flies’ is a reference to the devil. In Christianity the lord of the flies is the devil. Golding is giving us the message that we act like devils and hate potentially hate each other. If it wasn’t for the fragile lies of human rights and civilisation upon us. The Human rights are immensely violated because the little children don’t…

Words 507 - Pages 3

Lord Of The Flies Comparison Essay

JoyTheodore Roosevelt once said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” Even though people might not realize it, humans compare themselves to others every day. Comparison of one another stimulates a “keeping up with the Joneses” effect. The nature of man is to compare himself to others. This creates a society that is insecure about themselves and wants what they can’t have. Throughout Lord of the Flies, Jack compared himself to Ralph. In Jack’s eyes, Ralph had it all because he was chief. In “Social Me”…

Words 699 - Pages 3

English Essay

English Essay Thomas Jefferson once said, “The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only object of a good environment.” However, in ‘Lord of the Flies’, William Golding precisely portrays the truly destruction within humans. He also illustrates the collapse of society and peaceful civilization through dissension among the group. In addition, the ‘Lord of the Flies’ is an extraordinarily fierce and bloody novel that illustrates a group of British boys, from…

Words 734 - Pages 3

Lord of the Flies: Human Savagery Essay example

Lord of the Flies Essay Nicholas Wong ENG2D Ms. Ghai March 8, 2012 Task: Does William Golding present a realistic portrayal of how savage humankind can be? Or does he underestimate the goodness in people? Does Golding’s use of WWII as the backdrop have a significant impact on our understanding of human nature? In William Golding’s novel, “The Lord of the Flies”, he displays human nature in an animalistic viewpoint that is not seen in “normal” people. He describes the unknown savagery…

Words 900 - Pages 4

Thomas Hobbes Lord Of The Flies Research Paper

mankind. Hobbes believed that since human beings are social creatures they could not function without trust, cooperation, and companionship. In the State of Nature, a life without laws and rules, life would be chaotic and intolerable. Hobbes felt this way because everyone would be in competition…

Words 909 - Pages 4

Lord Of The Flies Quote Analysis

LORD OF THE FLIES COMPETENCY ESSAY In the fictional novel Lord Of The Flies by William Golding, the author tells us of the loss of innocence and childhood through the eyes of a group of boys stranded on an island in which they have to make many difficult decisions that impact their lives forever. The author gives us glimpses into his view on human nature with this quote “It was simply what seemed sensible for me to write after the war when everyone was thanking God they weren't Nazis. I'd…

Words 829 - Pages 4

Othello Flaws

or misuse, our emotions. In the play Othello by William Shakespeare, Iago and Othello's contradicting character flaws build the groundwork for the play, as the use of deception, betrayal and jealousy develop expertly.This essay will argue through reference to Lord of the flies, how emotive language sets the tone for a novel, and how it can be manipulated to give the reader deeper understanding of the text. It is through these character’s flaws that we are able to see how literature is often dealt…

Words 1388 - Pages 6

Evil In Lord Of The Flies Analysis

simple concept to grasp, the reality is that it is an amorphous and dynamic element in human nature whose definition changes nearly every instance it is brought up. Evil acts can, of course, derive from the cruel intentions an individual. Yet at the same time, evil acts can also come from the depravity of the human soul from fear, desperation, or dehumanization. It is believed that there is a breaking point in any human in which the boundaries of morality are shattered and any action that is held to be…

Words 1329 - Pages 6