Lord of the Flies In “Lord of the Flies”, Golding suggests that once man is freed from social conditioning and obligation, the intrinsic sense of evil will be revealed in him. He destroys the optimistic view of human nature by showing how even the most innocent of all – children can deteriorate into primitive savages once freed from the trappings of society.This view, that man is capable of gross wickedness, is central to the whole novel. It is revealed through Simon’s conversation with the imaginary Lord of the Flies when he realises that the real beast is one that exists in all the boys. However, Golding also shows that if man is willing to recognise the evil potential in his nature, he will able to curb his own evil instincts.It is important to note how much the boys manage to achieve before their inner fears destroy their sense of responsibility and reason, that is, before the boys finally succumb to savagery and violence. They discover fire, they build shelters (albeit prone to collapsing!), they explore the island, they go on hunting trips, and they delegate social responsibilities. Initially, one would be inclined to think that Jack’s leadership is a poor one as he relies on brute strength. However, Jack is shrewd enough to know that the boys’ survival is as important as rescue. Food has to be hunted; emotional needs (which Ralph tries
to deny) have to be satisfied.Also, Piggy, Ralph and Simon serve as reminders in the novel that there remains much to be admired in mankind. Each of them displays positive qualities of wisdom and goodness in their own way. For all his physical weaknesses like asthma, myopia and fatness, Piggy is no doubt an intelligent, practical and a sensible thinker. He is the mouthpiece of science and reason on the island, and is a good planner who can think logically and prioritise things.For instance, Piggy’s realism and sense of perception are revealed at the beginning where in contrast to Ralph’s ...
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to deny) have to be satisfied.Also, Piggy, Ralph and Simon serve as reminders in the novel that there remains much to be admired in mankind. Each of them displays positive qualities of wisdom and goodness in their own way. For all his physical weaknesses like asthma, myopia and fatness, Piggy is no doubt an intelligent, practical and a sensible thinker. He is the mouthpiece of science and reason on the island, and is a good planner who can think logically and prioritise things.For instance, Piggy’s realism and sense of perception are revealed at the beginning where in contrast to Ralph’s naively optimistic belief that his father will rescue them, Piggy reminds him that in view of their circumstances, that would be unlikely. Piggy is also the one who prompts Ralph to “find the others” and “call a meeting”. He often comes up with the solutions to the boys’ problems. His “intellectual daring” is revealed when he suggests moving the fire from the mountain. Throughout his life on the island, Piggy remains focused on the most important thing for them to do: to keep the fire going in order for the boys to be rescued. Piggy has a very sharp sense of perception and can provide insight into the boys’ relationships. For example, he understands perfectly well why Jack hates Ralph – because the latter “got him over the fire”.Piggy’s adult outlook is reflected in his belief in scientific logic. Life to him is purely “scientific” and as such, he says that there is no beast since reason and rationality cannot go hand in hand with superstitions and irrational fears. He wears a “martyred expression of a parent” and lectures the boys for acting like a “senseless…crowd of kids”. As such, we see that Piggy’s attitude is more matured and adult than the rest of the boys.While Piggy serves as an able adviser to Ralph, it is Ralph himself who often carries out the action. Ralph is a born leader and shows himself to be fair and just leader, from the fact that he wants to establish a form of democracy on the island – by coming up with the rule that one can only speak while holding the conch. (In order to give everybody a chance to voice his opinion.) Ralph is sincerely dedicated in maintaining the welfare of the boys and a semblance of order on the island. It is important to note that he lays down rules for general good and not simply because he wants to exercise his authority. For instance, Ralph imposes several restrictions on the boys, such as “We won’t have a fire anywhere but on the mountain. (p.101)” and that the boys are only to use the rocks as a lavatory.Besides possessing leadership qualities, Ralph shows true courage when he bravely volunteers to explore Castle Rock alone in search of the beast. He is also responsible and caring – from the fact that he takes care of the ‘littluns’ and puts Piggy in charge of looking after them when they set of to find the beast. Despite the fact that Ralph failed to carry out his mission on the island, his acknowledgement of the “darkness of man’s heart” and the recognition of the wisdom and friendship of Piggy indicates Ralph’s personal growth. From his experiences, Ralph gains maturity, wisdom and comprehension. Golding shows that there is some hope for the future in the new knowledge that Ralph has required – he can understand the conflict of good and evil, ideal and real that exists in man.Most importantly of all, Golding reveals that there is indeed a better side to man’s nature through his character, Simon. Throughout the novel, Simon is portrayed as a Christ-like figure and a saint. Simon’s selflessness is apparent from the fact that he bravely offers to go back alone through the forest to tell Piggy and the others that the rest will not be back until after dark. His generous and kind nature is shown when he helped the littluns to find the “choicest” fruits from trees which were too high for them to reach. When he discovers the dead parachutist, Simon, in typical charitable fashion, releases the corpse by untying the lines holding the figure to the rocks.Simon is a true friend and a constant source of moral support to Ralph – by encouraging him to “go on being Chief”. He reveals his capacity for intuition when he assures Ralph that he will “get back all right”. Like Piggy, Simon provides insights of wisdom and revelation. He is the one who realises that the beast which exists on the island is “only us (the boys)”. He recognises that the only way for the boys to save themselves is to confront their fear and that “mankind’s essential illness” is “ancient, (and) inescapable”.Piggy’s wisdom, Ralph’s well intentions and Simon’s spirituality all serve to bring a more optimistic view about man’s nature. However, Golding’s point here is to suggest that though the potential to do evil exists in all of us, with the help of civilisation and its “schools, policemen, and laws”, mankind would be able to overcome this and remain virtuous. In some cases, like Simon, he is able to be uphold his moral values even without any pressure from society. For some others like Ralph and Piggy who represent the naïve, well-meaning, simple side of man, there is a tendency to slip into the region of ‘badness’ though most of the time they are able to be ‘good’.Although Golding seems to present a bleak view of human nature, he does give the reader some hope for the future at the end of the book. This is shown in the new knowledge that Ralph has acquired. Unlike Simon and Piggy who have died, Ralph is given the chance to live on and to hopefully, use his new-found knowledge to influence the people around him. With his increased awareness of human nature and his experiences, Ralph will be able to live on the legacy of Simon and Piggy.
