The Root of All Evil
"A devil, a born devil, on whose nature / Nurture can never stick" (Tempest 4.1.188-190). Are people really "born a devil"? Or is evil something which is inborn in humans and is always just there? The battle between nature vs. nurture is one that has been disputed for many years. It has been scientifically proven that genes (nature) determine certain traits, such as hair or eye color. The dispute, however, is concerning what determines a person's behavioral traits. Some scientists believe that these traits, too, are determined by genes, while others feel these traits are learned from the person's environment (genealogy.about.com). The idea that evil is inborn within humans is a. controversial issue associated with these beliefs. Many believe that evil behavior in people is something that is learned and is the result of "nurturing." At the same time, others believe evil is a tendency that humans naturally are born with. In the 1970's, scientific research began to show that "the nurture-only view was indeed too simplistic" (Lemonick 54). Similar studies led to the assumption that humans are born with evil inside and it is human nature to act upon evil impulses. In William Golding's Lord of the Flies, Golding uses symbolism to convey this idea of evil being innate within humans.
Golding uses the settings as different symbols throughout the novel. One of the first symbols is the main setting, the island. The island in itself represents isolation of the children. Since the children are isolated on the island, there is no way that the evil of the outside world could influence them to become evil. The island is also used to show that the environment, being so beautiful and pure, does not affect the boys and cause them to become evil.
The island is described as a place where "the white surf flinked on a coral reef, and beyond that the open sea was dark blue. Within the irregular arc of coral the lagoon was still as a mountain lake--blue of all shades and shadowy green and purple" (8). These descriptions of the island draw a picture very similar to the Garden of Eden. "Out of the ground the Lord God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil" (Gen. 2:8-9). In the Garden of Eden there is a tree which bears fruit, much like the trees on the island which the boys feast upon. "Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden" (Gen. 2:10). A river flows through the Eden providing Adam with clean water to drink. Similarly, a river flows through the center of the island providing the children with fresh water. This river represents purity on the island, before corrupted by man. The water runs pure and clean until the dead bodies, representing evil, are thrown into it by the children and pollute it. Although the island seems to be a place of paradise, the littluns insist that there is a "snake-thing" capable of changing forms living on the island. Similarly, the Garden of Eden contains an evil serpent. "Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made" (Gen. 4:3). Both places are beautiful paradises that contain an evil serpent, showing that even the most beautiful things contain something ugly and evil as soon as man is put there.
Another setting which contributes to the idea that evil is inborn within man is the "scar" where the plane crashed. When the plane crashed, it left a clearing in the jungle referred to as the scar. "All round him the long scar smashed into the jungle" (5). The site of the plane crash is the only physical reminder the boys have of the outside "civilized" world. The scar shows how a beautiful, pure area is corrupted by man and the evil within him.
One more setting that aids in the revelation of evil in the children is the clearing where Simon goes to think. The clearing is a secluded natural area "among the creepers [...] [where there was] the great mat that was woven by the open space" (123). The clearing is depicted as a peaceful place where the sun is always shining. "Beyond the screen of leaves the sunlight pelted down and the butterflies danced in the middle their unending dance. He knelt down and the arrow of the sun fell on him" (123). The clearing is full of flowers and butterflies and is initially a beautiful place. The butterflies are a symbol of memories of the past, which flutter through Simon's mind while in the clearing. The clearing is an exquisite place where Simon goes to escape all the bad on the island, until it too is corrupted by evil. "They [the flies] were black and iridescent green and without number; and in front of Simon, the Lord of the Flies hung on his stick and grinned" (128). The boys corrupt the purity of the clearing by bringing the head of the pig, a result of evil actions, into it. The boys cannot simply leave the clearing alone and let it remain serene. The evil inside them compels the children to spread that evil throughout even the most chaste areas.
The last setting that conveys the idea of evil being innate within the children is the jungle. The jungle represents evil being hidden within. "Soon the high jungle closed in. Tall trunks bore unexpected pale flowers all the way up to the dark canopy [...] The air here was dark too" (50). The jungle is frequently described as a dark place, often containing something frightening, whether it be the "snake-thing" or the beast. The dark jungle is located in the heart of the island. This represents a "heart of darkness"; evil inside the children along with inside the island. Deep within the jungle is where the pigs are hunted and killed. These entities show evil existing on the inside of something, in this case, the jungle. The malevolent creatures hiding within the jungle allude to evil also hiding inside of the children.
In addition to the setting, Golding also uses the characters and specific items and events associated with them as symbols to express the idea that evil is inborn within the children. Primarily, children are used to represent innocence. Children have not been fully conditioned by society and are more able to think for themselves, therefore showing that society has not conditioned them to be evil, but the evil resides within them naturally.
The first character Golding introduces is Ralph. Ralph is a boy of about twelve with fair hair, which he is always pushing out of ...
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In addition to the setting, Golding also uses the characters and specific items and events associated with them as symbols to express the idea that evil is inborn within the children. Primarily, children are used to represent innocence. Children have not been fully conditioned by society and are more able to think for themselves, therefore showing that society has not conditioned them to be evil, but the evil resides within them naturally.
The first character Golding introduces is Ralph. Ralph is a boy of about twelve with fair hair, which he is always pushing out of his eyes, and a tanned body with a "build [...] that might make a boxer, as far as width and heaviness of shoulders [...] but there was a mildness about his mouth and eyes that proclaimed no devil" (8). The longer the boys spend on the island, the longer their hair grows and the less civilized they become. Their long hair is symbolic of the loss of civilization. "Ralph stood, holding his hair back" (60). "He would like to have a pair of scissors and cut this hair--he flung the mass back..." (101). Ralph constantly pushing the hair out of his eyes represents the evil inside him constantly taunting him to succumb to it, but him continually pushing it aside.
From the minute the children meet up with each other it is obvious that Ralph is a natural leader. From the beginning he focuses on maintaining stability and order on the island. Ralph uses the conch shell to call meetings and give everyone a fair chance to speak, therefore turning the conch into a symbol of order and democracy. "`I'll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he's speaking'" (29). All of the boys seem to respond to the conch and respect it's importance. "They obeyed the summons of the conch, partly because Ralph blew it, and he was big enough to be linked with the adult world of authority" (54). The conch helps maintain civilization on the island.
Another way Ralph tries to maintain civilization on the island is by building shelters. The shelters are a reminder of civilized life. "`So we need shelters as a sort of [...] home'" (47). They are used to constantly remind the boys of their old lives and keep them focused on getting rescued. The shelters are also used as a symbol of protection from evil:
"And then another thing. We need shelters because of the--" [...] "You've noticed haven't you? [...] They're frightened. [...] They dream. You can hear em'. Have you been awake at night? [...] They talk and scream. The littluns. Even some of the others. As if [...] the beastie or the snake-thing was real." (46-47)
Ironically, the shelters that were built to protect the children from evil were ultimately burned down and destroyed in an act propelled by the innate evil within the boys. This symbolizes the ability of evil to conquer all.
The fire is another symbol associated with Ralph. "If a ship comes near the island they may not notice us. So we must make smoke on top of the mountain. We must make a fire" (33). Ralph's main focus is getting rescued. The fire Ralph builds represents him holding on to civilization and getting rescued. When the fire goes out, civilization is lost from the island. The whole island goes up in flames after trying to smoke Ralph out of his hiding place, causing their rescue. The return of the fire symbolizes the return of civilization to the island.
Although Ralph is primarily focused on being rescued and keeping the island civilized, he too is overcome by the powerful temptation of innate evil inside him. When Ralph hits the boar on the nose with his spear, he is overcome with a rush of excitement and power. "Ralph talked on excitedly. `I hit him alright. The spear stuck in. I wounded him!' He sunned himself in their new respect and felt that hunting was good after all" (105). Ralph initially does not agree with the idea of hunting and refrains from partaking in the violent act. But after hitting the boar and getting his first taste of violence, Ralph is overpowered by the feeling of supremacy, letting weakness and innate evil hidden inside him slowly become revealed.
A further instance of Ralph's weakness is exposed in his final scene, when he is rescued by the Naval officer. "`Who's boss here"' `I am,' said Ralph loudly. ` I should have thought that a pack of British boys [...] would have been able to put up a better show that that..." (186). It is ironic that the Naval officer reprimands the boys for their barbaric behavior because he, being a Naval officer during a war, is participating in similar, if not more savage, behavior. Nonetheless, Ralph steps forward and accepts responsibility for the disaster the island is in. It is then that he realizes how his attempts to maintain civilization have failed. Ralph breaks down crying for "the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy" (187). At this point Ralph realizes the innate evil within the boys has overcome each of them to an inconceivable extent.
Another symbolic character on the island is Piggy. Piggy is also used as a symbol to show the innate evil in the boys. Piggy is "shorter than the fair boy [Ralph] and very fat" (5). Piggy wears thick "spectacles" and is constantly mentioning his asthma. Piggy is always thinking back to home and civilization, making many references to his auntie. "`My auntie told me not to run'" (7). " `I didn't expect nothing. My auntie-- '" (10). "`I used to live with my auntie'" (11). As time goes on, Piggy makes fewer and fewer references to his auntie as he is deprived more and more of civilization and his old life. Nevertheless, Piggy holds on to his sense of civilization the entire time he is on the island, unlike many of the other boys. "He was the only boy on the island whose hair never seemed to grow" (59). Piggy's hair never seeming to grow symbolizes his holding on to civilization. Piggy was brought up to know right from wrong and always acts civilized, as he was brought up to. Even when all the other boys are picking on him, Piggy keeps his composure and acts as he was raised, never acting spitefully toward them. Piggy is, in a way, a motherly figure while on the island. He is always left behind from the hunting trips to care for the littluns. Piggy sometimes also acts as a motherly figure towards Ralph. Piggy always keeps Ralph in line. He keeps Ralph from giving in to Jack's tribe, believing in the beast, and even from giving in to his own inner evil. Although it seems Piggy does not know it, he has a very profound influence on Ralph.
Piggy influences Ralph in many ways. Some of the boys notice that Ralph is even starting to act like Piggy. "`He's like Piggy. He says things like Piggy'" (117). Ralph can always turn to Piggy in a time of need for advice. Piggy and his glasses represent knowledge, maturity, and reasonability. Piggy constantly cleans his glasses, which represents him keeping his mind, in addition to his glasses, clear. Piggy's glasses become cracked after Jack steals them, making it more difficult for him to see everything clearly and reasonably. "His voice rose to a shriek of terror as Jack snatched the glasses off his face. `Mind out! Give `em back! I can hardly see! You'll break the conch!'" (32) The broken glasses represent the beginning of loss of civilization.
Another symbol associated with Piggy that represents civilization is the conch. Even when Jack is snatching the glasses off his face, Piggy is worried about the conch. As the boys on the island become less civilized, Piggy becomes more and more infatuated with the conch. "Piggy held up the conch and the booing sagged a little, then came up again to strength. `I got the conch!' He shouted. `I tell you, I got the conch!'" (166) This shows that Piggy is determined to maintain civilization on the island, even after the whole island is in chaos and obviously no one cares about the conch. The island becomes totally hectic when Piggy dies and the conch is smashed. The civilization and stability that the conch represented is lost when the shell is smashed. The island is in a state of total chaos and savagery after Piggy's death.
Piggy's death in itself represents loss of civilization and the takeover of inner evil. Piggy is killed, as ordered by Jack, when Roger pushes a giant boulder on him, crushing him and the conch. "The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded in to a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist" (167).
Jack sees Piggy as a threat to his goals of spreading his evil ways through his tribe. Jack knows that in order for him and his evil ways to have total control over the other children, he must get rid of all good and Piggy, for Piggy had a positive influence on almost all of the children. "`See? See? That's what you'll get! I meant that! There isn't a tribe for you any more! The conch is gone--" (167) Jack wanted Piggy killed in order to remove all intellectual, civilized, and moral influence that Piggy has on the other children. The civilization the conch represented along with the intellect, maturity, and organization that Piggy possessed is lost when Piggy is killed and the conch is smashed. This point marks the end of all stability on the island.
Another character that is used to show the innate evil in the children is Simon. Simon "was a skinny, vivid little boy, with a glance coming up from under a hut of straight hair that hung down, black and coarse" (20). Throughout their time on the island, Simon acts as a Christ-like figure in many occasions. Simon, much like Piggy, is always out to help people and never acts selfishly or cruelly to any of the other boys. Simon picks up Piggy's glasses when they get knocked off, tries to comfort the littluns when they are worried by the beast, and even gives Piggy his meat when Jack refuses to give him any.
Many of Simon's actions are similar to those of Christ. Simon gives the littluns the fruit they cannot reach. "Simon found for them the fruit they could not reach, pulled off the choicest from up in the foliage, passed them back down to the endless, outstretched hands" (50). Simon giving Piggy his meat and this particular scene are similar to that of Christ giving out bread to the masses. Not only does Simon give his meat to Piggy, but he also refrains from eating the meat because "the hunt for meat as food disguises the blood-lust to kill for killing's sake" (212). Simon does not want to have anything to do with the killing and evil that is happening on the island. At no point while on the island does Simon's "inner evil" show, leading to the belief that he is indeed a Christ figure who has no inner evil.
There are many symbols related to Simon that have religious meaning. One of such symbols are the "candle-bud" flowers discovered on the island. All of the other boys immediately reject the buds because they are not edible, but Simon's "religious imagination" sees them as candles (211). Candles can be viewed as religious symbols because they are often used in churches. The candle-buds, when blossomed, were white. The color white often represents purity and innocence. The acceptance of these white flowers reflects Simon's own purity and innocence.
A further symbol that links Simon to religion is his ability to speak with the Lord of the Flies. While in his special clearing Simon is able to communicate with the Lord of the Flies, which is in actuality the dead pig's head. The Lord of the Flies "tells" him:
"Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill [...] You knew, didn't you? I'm part of you? Close, close, close! I'm the reason why it's no go? Why things are what they are? [...] Get back to the others and we'll forget the whole thing. [...] This is ridiculous. You know perfectly well you'll only meet me down there--so don't try to escape!"
Clearly, the dead head does not essentially talk to him. This is the point that Simon has a spiritual revelation and realizes the "beast" the children are afraid of is actually the evil living inside each of them.
This spiritual revelation powers Simon to investigate the "beast" at the top of the mountain, which ultimately leads to his death. "The beast was harmless and horrible; and the news must reach the others as soon as possible" (136). After discovering what the beast truly is, Simon feels the need to let the others know so they too can be comforted. Seemingly mistaken for the "beast" coming down from the mountain, the children murder Simon:
The sticks fell and the mouth of the new circle crunched and screamed. The beast was on its knees in the center, its arms folded over its face. [...] At once the crowd surged after it, poured down the rock, leapt on the beast, screamed, struck, bit, tore. (141)
After realizing what they've done, the children make excuses for killing Simon. "`It was dark. There was that--that bloody dance. There was lightening and thunder and rain. We was scared!'" (144) "`It was an accident'" (145). Although the children say they killed Simon because they thought he was the beast, in reality they were aware of what they were doing behind a haze of fear and frenzy. Jack, especially, knew what he was doing. Jack views Simon the same way he views Piggy: as a threat to his goals to dominate with evil. Jack seems to understand that Simon has no weakness when it comes to evil, which is why Jack feels the need to kill Simon first. The rest of the children aide in killing Simon because of their own inner evil. Their inner evil was too strong and had taken a hold of them and the children begin to succumb to it.
Jack is another character who can frequently be seen as symbolic. Jack is "tall, thin, and bony...his hair was red beneath the black cap. His face was...freckled, and ugly without silliness" (17). Throughout his stay on the island, Jack often lets his hair hang in his face. With long hair representing loss of civilization, this shows that from the beginning Jack lets go of civilization and does not make an attempt to regain it. Jack is portrayed as a symbol of anarchy and loss of civilization. Jack is the first boy to reveal his inner evil. From the very beginning Jack is obsessed with the idea of killing something. "`We'll get food,' cried Jack. `Hunt. Catch things...'" (26). He is the only boy on the island who has a knife with him. This shows that Jack's desire to kill or cause destruction has always been present inside him.
Jack becomes fixated on the idea of killing a pig. When he finally gets his chance to kill, the piece of civilization inside him stops him. "`Why didn't you--"' 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" (27). At this point, Jack is still remotely civilized. He is conditioned to know that killing is bad and does not act upon his urges to kill. He even seems to be a bit squeamish about blood. This shows that Jack's inner evil has not yet been fully revealed.
Jack's inner evil gradually takes over his mind and his actions. "They let the bloody fire go out" (62). After not being able to kill the pig, Jack let's the signal fire go out. This shows that he has no desire to be rescued. Jack never even talks about being rescued or looks to the future because he knows that means going back to civilization. Also, he never looks to the future because he knows there is no future in the life-style he is beginning. If Jack succeeds in converting life into his preferred evil ways of living, all the children would end up killing each other and there would be no future. Regardless, Jack would rather let his inner evil take over because it gives him a sense of power. This sense of power makes him not want to go back to his old, civilized ways of living.
Nonetheless, not killing the pig the first time makes Jack's urge to kill even stronger. "Next time there would be no mercy" (27). Jack sticks to his word and next time he sees a pig, he does indeed kill it. "Behind Jack walked the twins, carrying a great stake on their shoulders. The gutted carcass of a pig swung from the stake" (63). Jack's inner evil slowly becomes revealed. His urges to kill become stronger than his conditioned conscience and his morals.
Slowly but surely Jack's desire to kill becomes more prominent and more inhumane. "Then Jack found the throat and the hot blood spouted over his hands. The sow collapsed under them and they were heavy and fulfilled upon her" (125). Jack's inner evil becomes fully revealed when he is able to kill a mother pig with no second thoughts or remorse. It is obvious that blood no longer bothers him like it did when he was about to kill the first pig. Jack no longer has any sense of civilization or how he was brought up and conditioned to act. This shows Jack's loss of civilization and revelation of inner evil.
Soon after, Jack's inner evil is in fully exposed when he begins to hunt for Ralph. "`They hate you, Ralph. They're going to do you.' `They're going to hunt you tomorrow'" (174). Jack kills Ralph last because Ralph is the last person Jack views as a threat to his goals. Jack is afraid Ralph might prevent him from taking complete control of the island, since initially Ralph was the leader. Jack seems to feel the only way to gain control over Ralph is to kill him. Jack is now beyond killing only animals, he is actually planning on killing another human being. He has no regards for anything he has been taught and does not care that he is going to take another human's life. He is focused solely on taking over with his inner evil and not being rescued.
Unfortunately, Jack's plans of not being rescued are crushed by his own barbaric actions. "`We saw your smoke. What have you been doing? Having a war or something"'" (185) The smoke that was intended to smoke Ralph out of hiding signaled the ship to rescue the boys. When the Naval officer asked who was in charge of the island, a "little boy who wore the remains of an extraordinary black cap [...] started forward, then changed his mind and stood still" (186). This shows how when someone from the outside, civilized world is present, Jack is viewed once again as what he really is; just a little boy, rather than a fierce leader or chief. Civilization returns to the island and the boys when the Naval officer arrives. Jack, slowly returning to his civilized state, realizes what has happened and does not want to be held responsible for all the chaos on the island. Civilization forces Jack's inner evil to recede back inside him and become overshadowed by his conditioned ways of living.
The last character used to contribute to the idea that evil is inborn in the children is Roger. Roger has shaggy black hair and is described many times as "dark." Roger is possibly the most savage boy on the island. He is the first boy to intentionally kill another person on the island. Roger is a loyal follower of Jack, which helps in the revelation of his inner evil. From the beginning, Roger is always bothering people for no reason. "Roger gathered a handful of stones and began to throw them [at the littluns]" (57). Later on, Roger tortures the pig they are going to kill with his sharpened stick for no particular reason. This illustrates how Roger gets pleasure out of bothering and torturing people or things and shows Roger's inner evil beginning to be revealed. The stick sharpened at both ends symbolizes how there is no escape from the evil that is inside each of the boys.
Roger uses the same "stick sharpened at both ends" that he tortures the pig with to put its head on after they kill it. Roger plans to do the same to Ralph, which shows Roger having plans to kill Ralph very early on. Ralph is not the only person whose death Roger has something to do with. "High overhead, Roger, with a sense of delirious abandonment, leaned all his weight on the lever" (167). Roger is the one who drops the boulder on Piggy and kills him, even though Piggy did nothing to Roger to deserve to die. Roger also plays a part in Simon's death. While dancing in the circle, Roger "became the pig, charging at Jack" causing all the boys to become all riled up and lose their sense of reality. (140)
Roger is last seen when Ralph runs away from Jack's tribe. Ralph fears Roger because he possesses the sharpened stick. Ralph knows what Roger's plans are for him and the stick. He knows that Roger has the ability to kill him, just as he killed his good friend Piggy. Ralph also fears the stick in a way because he knows that the stick being sharpened at both ends represents no escape from the ultimate evil within the boys.
There are many other symbols that Golding uses to contribute to the idea that evil is innate within the children. The dead pilot/parachutist is one of such symbols. The dead parachutist represents a piece of war going on in the outside world. It shows that the outside "civilized" world is just as bad as the world on the island when it comes to evil. The children who are blinded by their own innate evil do not see the parachutist as it really is, but rather as a savage beast on top of the mountain. Simon, the only boy who is not blinded and deceived by inner evil, is the only one who sees the parachutist as it is and not as a beast.
One of the most noteworthy symbols is the "beast"/Lord of the Flies. The beast and the Lord of the Flies are essentially the same thing: a imaginary representation of the evil inside the boys. The boys' belief in the beast becomes stronger as they become more uncivilized because their inner evil takes a stronger hold of them, clouding their perception of the truth. When Ralph hits the Lord of the Flies, he believes that it "smiles" at him. "Fiercely he hit out at the filthy thing in front of him that [...] came back, still grinning into his face" (171). The smiling skull symbolizes Ralph's inner evil taunting him, trying to get him to succumb to it. The Lord of the Flies is the most important symbol because it represents the devil and evil, present in each of the children.
All of the symbols Golding uses throughout the novel show the revelation of evil from within the children. Golding uses Lord of the Flies as the title of the novel because the Lord of the Flies symbolizes the innate evil within the children, which is the main idea of the novel. Golding shows that the children are not conditioned by society or another satanic force to act in an evil manner; the innate evil within themselves causes them to act in such a way. In the words of Joseph Conrad, "The belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary; men alone are quite capable of every wickedness" (qtd. litquotes.com).
Works Cited
Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York: The Berkley Publishing Group, 1988.
About Genealogy. 22 Dec. 2004 http://genealogy.about.com.
Lemonick, Michael. "What Makes Us Do It"" Time. 28 Oct. 2002: 54.
In Defense of Volumnia's Mothering in Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Coriolanus. 22 Dec. 2004 www.clas.ufl.edu/ipsa/journal/articles/art_krims04.shtml.
Wisdom Quotes. 22 Dec. 2004 http://www.wisdomquotes.com/002656.html.
LitQuotes. 22 Dec. 2004 http://www.litquotes.com/quote_title_resp.php"TName=Under+W
BookRags. 30 Sept. 2007 http://www.bookrags.com/essay-2005/5/4/154724/9145
