The introduction of Lord of The Flies clearly demonstrates the personality change of the boys upon first landing in a remote island. The boys initially maintain civilization and have a sense of order, therefore mimicking the leadership of adults. However, this mortality fades as the boys change from obedient British schoolboys into unknown savages. This proves that they are not good in nature, but morally good with the existence of authority and rules. As the boys (Ralph, Jack, and Simon) experience their first hunt, Jack fails to capture the pig. Still having the innocence of a child, he is hesitant in murdering a living creature, which also chows that killing is not in his nature. However, in the latter part of the novel, we recognize the personality of Jack change, as he becomes more of an executioner rather than a hunter. He shifts into the image and likeness of a monster who finds pleasure in killing another being. Thereafter, order and goodness disappears. Even the boys who are known to represent goodness and held by social order, begins to reveal the evil that they have been born with. Ralph, the representation of democratic leadership and one of the most civilized boys also has that unavoidable evil within him. It is seen in “Ralph too was fighting to get near, to get a handful of that brown, vulnerable flesh” that his “desire to squeeze and hurt was over-mastering” (Golding 114-115). In brief, no matter how much one appears to be naturally good, there is still a huge possibility that an individual can be dominated by evil.
Exposed to savagery, the boys’ addiction to hunting changes them as they face their adventures of survival in the island. Aside from the need to overcome their daily obstacles, their goal is to be rescued. Thus, they consider the formation of a group of hunters, consisting of the choirboys, upon waiting for help to arrive. Like any leader, Jack promises to the others that his army will be responsible for hunting food for everybody and keeping the signal fire going, as a form of rescue. Unfortunately, he breaks this agreement by ignoring the importance of maintaining the fire. Since all they think about is hunting, as shown in “We hunt and we feast and have fun” (Golding 140) and “We’ll go into the forest now and hunt” (Golding 133), they have never made fire again. Reminding them that their reason for hunting was to provide food for everybody, their habit of going to the forest, almost frequently, gave them another purpose – to kill. They consider murder as something normal now. This is shown when they did not feel any remorse when they killed Simon the night they feasted near the beach. They start to lose their conscience. It was not only the pig they were hunting, but humans as well. This is proven in the end of the novel when Jack and his pack were hunting Ralph. In conclusion, they have set free the evil that transverse them into uncontrollably wild savages. Moreover, it caused them negative effects including bloodlust and greed.
Fear, lust, and greed are some of the emotions that strengthened the boys’ desire for authority. The feeling of wanting to control is a leading factor that ignites the conflicts in man. Jack’s character very well demonstrates this idea. He represents dictatorship and is governed by the urge to hunt and kill. Aspiring to be a leader, Jack declares his statement “We’ll hunt. I’m going to be chief.” (Golding 133). This quotes Jack being desperate to rule and makes his way through it by using the boys’ fear from the beast to mold them into savages. Roger, a hunter, is also an image of pure evil in man. He is introduced as one of the choirboys, but is held responsible for Piggy’s death in the end. We notice that his evil is in the destructive side as it is shown in “Roger stopped, picked up a stone, aimed, and threw it as Henry.” (Golding 62). He is accustomed of hurting others without getting into trouble.
Golding chose children to portray these dilemmas in humanity to prove his position that evil does not nurture as one ages, but is already present as birth. This emphasizes that we, humans, are corrupt beings. Golding’s Lord of The Flies is an example of a hunting tale that changes character’s personality, their approach to murder, and their methods of leadership. Through children’s story plot, it is able to shed light on the profound truths of humankind. Not only does it teaches us about our society, but also relates to Christianity – the defect of humanity. In conclusion, the main lesson one could meditate from reading this novel is that we learn best from the places we least expect.
