Evil In Lord Of The Flies

The sample essay on Evil In Lord Of The Flies deals with a framework of research-based facts, approaches and arguments concerning this theme. To see the essay’s introduction, body paragraphs and conclusion, read on.

In the novel, Golding concentrates a lot on the subject of evil and how the children are evil on the island. I believe that he does this to show how humans can have evil within them, and how it can be brought out in certain situations.

I also believe that he has focused on evil a lot in the novel as he has entitled the novel ‘lord of the flies’ which is the means ‘Beelzebub’ which is commonly used as a word to describe the devil.

In the beginning, Golding immediately brings in the subject of evil as early as when the ‘party of boys’, known as the choir joined the group of children, they were wearing ‘long black cloaks’ when everyone else had taken there clothes off because of the heat, they were described as a ‘creature’, a ‘shadow’ and that they looked like ‘darkness’.

I believe Golding has used this sense of black to suggest that they are evil.

Another thing that I believe that Golding has used in the novel to show how some humans are evil is that Jack took an instant dislike towards Piggy as Piggy was ‘intimidated by this uniformed superiority’, before he knew anything about him and then went on to bully him throughout the rest of the novel.

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Jack constantly called him ‘fatty’ until he found out about the name Piggy and made everyone laugh at him. Piggy was always an outsider after that incident. I feel that another way in which the novel implies that there is evil on the island is the setting of the ‘scar’.

Words To Describe Piggy From Lord Of The Flies

This is because the area is unattractive and it is given a name of something that is generally unattractive and something that is unusual – scar. I believe that Golding has used this to suggest that bad things have happened to the island and bad things are going to happen to the boys also. Another way in which Golding incorporates evil within the novel is when a child was killed because of the lack of control the boy’s had over the fire. It also took them a while before that they noticed he was missing and it was Piggy who noticed it.

There was also no real sorrow for the boy and they carried on life as if nothing had changed, which shows that they didn’t really care about him. I also feel that this shows that the island is unforgiving. I believe that the jungle is another symbol of evil that Golding used. The jungle is often described as the ‘heart of darkness’. I believe that this is because there is always something of an evil nature that happens in the jungle or is to have said to have happened in the jungle, as it is the jungle where by the ‘snake-thing’ is supposed have been seen.

Also, it is deep in the forest where the pigs are hunted and killed by the children in a savage manor. Another symbol of evil that Golding uses in the novel is the beast. Although there never actually is a beast, I still feel that it adds to the theme of evil within the novel this is because it makes people scared and live in fear, but I also believe that it is a metaphor for what lies within of the children; an evil beast. Not only this but I also believe that the beast helps us to identify the characters within the novel and gives us more detail about their personality.

For example, Ralph and Piggy immediately try to say to the litluns that there isn’t a beast to try and save them the discomfort they constantly say ‘But there isn’t a beastie! ‘ and try to convince everyone that they are confident of that fact. Although they say this we find out that both of these characters do have some doubt about there being a beast however they did the mature thing by acknowledging that it could cause havoc if the litluns thought there was and therefore they denied it. This shows a contrast to the characters of Simon and Jack.

Simon obviously has no belief in the beast as he has no fear when he enters the forest by himself whereas all of the other characters are very scared. We aren’t told how Jack feels about the beast however he tries to contrast Ralph and Piggy idea of trying to keep the litluns not scared by saying ‘but if there was a snake we’d hunt it and kill it’. This plants into the mind of the litluns that there may be a beast. It also gives Jack power as the litluns now think that he will protect them from the beast by killing it. Another example of evil within the novel involves Roger.

He sees Henry, playing with the animals. He threw a stone at Henry but ‘threw to miss’ this shows that he still had something civilised physiologically stopping him from hitting Henry, although he had a strong urge to do so. This shows that Roger had evil intensions and has evil within. I believe that Golding has used this example of Roger to try and make us think about where evil comes from. He uses Jack and Roger as examples. When Jack arrives on the island he is head boy and head of the choir, this suggests that he is a well-behaved child and is good.

However as the novel moves on he becomes sinister and evil. In contrast to this, Roger has evil intensions from the start and wants to hurt Henry. I believe that Golding has done this to try and debate whether evil is occurred by nature or nurture. I believe that the mask is another symbol of evil in the novel. This is because when Jack goes to kill the piglet at the first attempt, he was unable to do it because there was still something civilised about his character. However when he puts the mask on it takes away his identity.

Jack becomes an ‘awesome stranger’, which is a quote that perfectly describes the change that has occurred in the character of Jack, the mask has taken away his identity and his civilised nature and he has become savage. This savageness enables him to kill the pig. I also believe that the mask is a symbol showing that they have become savage and that they are regressing. This is because masks are most commonly associated with our ancestors who we have evolved in character from. This mask is a symbol of how the boys are regressing back to that savage form.

Another way in which it shows how the choir have changed while they have been on the island, obviously, being a choir they were good at singing and did it a lot. However as they regressed on the island this innocent singing became chanting. They chanted ‘kill the pig, cut his throat, spill his blood’. Most modern hunter would try to kill the animals in the kindest way, however this chant suggests that the choir are enjoying what they are doing and feel no guilt when they take another animals life. In the novel, certain members of the choir become obsessed with hunting and providing meat.

Later on in the novel they kill the sow, I believe the way in which they murder this sow demonstrates how evil the boys have become and is a very symbolic event in the whole novel. It particularly involves the two characters Jack and Roger, who seem to be the most evil two characters of the boys. They chased and hunted the ‘chosen pig’ and I believe that the fact it was a mother was symbolic, Golding is trying to say that these boys no longer need a mother in their lives and they have become independent. They threw ‘fire-hardened points’ towards the pig until they injured it and the ‘sow staggered’. The hunters followed’ the injured pig, this shows that desperately wanted the kill; they have become savage and evil. The language that Golding used is sometimes described as the language of rape. This is because he uses words like ‘lust’ and ‘wedded’ to describe how the hunters were killing her. The name Roger is commonly associated with a person who is good with a spear and this is shown in this section of the novel, ‘Roger ran around the heap, prodding with his spear whenever pigflesh appeared’. Along with Roger Jack was also ‘on top of the sow stabbing downwards with his knife’.

The two boys are being lethal in how they are hunting the sow, and they are doing it in a savage and evil manor. The sow was finally defeated when Jack slit her throat, and the ‘hot blood spouted over his hands’, these are very young boys and in modern society, most children their age would be very scared in this position, but these boys are attacking the pig in a gruesome way, this shows what they have become and how much they have changed. After the boys killed the sow, they decided to offer the head to the beast as a gift. They put the head on the spear and take in to the top of the mountain.

When Simon is by it he starts having a vision that the pig’s head is speaking to him. Golding refers to the pigs head as the ‘Lord of the Flies’ believe that this is a double meaning, the obvious one is that the flies are feeding on the head, however the ‘Lord of the Flies’ often has another meaning – the devil. I believe that Golding is trying to say that the Lord of the Flies represents all of the evil on the island and within the children. When Simon is talking to the Lord of the Flies, because it is being associated with the devil it is as though good is against bad.

The Lord of the Flies then threatens Simon in a ‘headmasters voice’ and calls him a ‘silly little boy’. The Lord of the Flies tells Simon that they are going to have fun on the island and that he shouldn’t try to stop them ‘or else’. The Lord of the Flies also says that ‘you’ll meet me down there’ I believe that this could be a metaphor for hell. It is ironic that soon after this experience, the children kill Simon and the ‘Lord of the Flies’ is a symbol of the evil within the children. To conclude my essay, I believe that Golding has focused on the theme of evil within the novel to show us how humans can be evil.

He wants to show what children can become if they are not guided in the right direction. I also believe that he has focused on the theme of evil as he wants us to consider whether evil is born with all humans and each person has the capability of evil inside them of it is to do with there surroundings. I feel that Golding used a good variety of characters to demonstrate the different characteristics when they are put in a situation and how different types of people can react and how people can be led. I think that Golding want to show people how humans can be evil in every day life and we don’t even notice it.