William Golding s Lord Of The Flies - 1731 Words

Humans are capable of demonstrating a wide range of emotions and actions; thus it can be said people are for the most part, dual natured. History is the biggest evidence to support this; for the cruel, bloody wars but also the random acts of kindness that keep the world from falling into complete despair. In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the ominous novel explores the descent into madness of a group of boys that crash land on a stranded island amidst the commotion of the Cold War. As the book progresses, the main character, Ralph, assumes power over the group as an elected leader while Jack, a more violent boy, initially assents to Ralph being chief, but later on finds himself falling into the temptations of violence and gathers a†¦show more content†¦From the early start of the book, the boys begin to fear an unknown â€Å"beast† that takes on numerous forms and shapes; and it becomes one of the main forces for causing the boys to fall into violence and chaos . When the boys were discussing the existence of the beast in a meeting, Simon takes the chance to offer his own opinion of what he believes the beast is, â€Å"maybe there is a beast†¦ What I mean is†¦ maybe it’s only us† (Golding 89). The boys do not understand the concept he introduces, and thus react rashly, denouncing Simon as crazy. Although the boys in the book can not comprehend what Simon refers to, Golding uses this quote to imply to readers that the â€Å"beast† is not an actual monster, but a product of human fear. It is a feeling that everyone can relate to, the irrational fear of the unknown. While the boys can clearly see the creeping vines and moving objects in broad daylight, during the night, shadows and anxiety begin to alter the lines between reality and imagination. The more rational boys, such as Ralph, Piggy, and Simon, have a slightly tighter grasp on the distinguishment of the two, but the others, specifically the young and unk nowing littluns, have nightmares and are struck with bouts of terror out of fear of the beast. Later on, after the time on the island had taken its toll and split the boys into two groups, the tribe led by Jack, in a vital scene of the plot, kill a sow and spear its head on a wooden stake in the ground. Jack