William Golding's main reason to explore the "defects of human nature" in his novel Lord of the Flies is to portray the destruction caused when civilization is consumed by

        Indolence is the key defect in Ralph which slowly separated the boys from his group. Although Ralph makes sensible rules and regulations, he is not capable of enforcing the rules on the boys. When he came up with the idea of building a fire, it is Jack who leads the boys to the top of the mountain while shouting “Come on! Follow me!” (Pg. 37) The boys joined Jack’s tribe because Jack is a natural, active leader who, instead of dreaming on the shore, is sniffing the ground for traces of pig droppings deep in the jungle. Under Jack’s reign, the boys can “hunt and feast and have fun” (Pg. 154). Golding discussed this defect in the novel to show how sometimes good leaders can have bad influence on others and how bad leaders can have good influence on others. Though, it is clear that the key to influence others is to be active and to acknowledge the concerns and interests of others.

        Another main defect explored by Golding regarding human nature is that people are very dependent on other people. All the boys slowly deserted Ralph in order to join Jack’s tribe. From Ralph, they simply got orders and instructions. By joining Jack’s tribe, the boys felt secured as they received discipline and strict enforcement of rules and regulations from an active, natural leader. The boys desperately needed someone like Jack, who could punish them if dictated duties are not completed. All the characters in the book are dependent on each other. As an example, Ralph heavily relies on Piggy’s wisdom to maintain his status. Ralph rarely acknowledges the importance of things unless someone wise like Piggy points it out to him. It is Piggy who teaches Ralph how to blow a conch. When the conch is finally blown a couple of times, we see “Signs of life” (Pg. 14) strolling down the beach. When the boys are united, solutions to problems are created and a ray of hope of getting rescued is made visible. In other words, Golding is emphasizing on the importance of being united as he looks forward to seeing the world unite to bring peace and harmony on the earth.

        Golding wants the world to acknowledge the misconception between the savages in the novel and the soldiers that fought in the world wars. The author wants people to know that the soldiers killing other soldiers is the same as the savage boys killing other boys. He knows that a lot of people would completely disagree with him even though they know deep inside that it is a bitter truth. Midway through the novel, the boys start ignoring the fact that they are stranded on an island and that they need to get rescued. Ralph, Piggy and “Samneric” are the only ones who take the signal fire seriously. Later on in the novel, after the feast, Ralph admits that he is responsible for Simon’s death. Piggy refuses to believe it as “It was dark” and “It was an accident” (Pg. 173). Though deep inside, Piggy knows that it was murder. Similarly, there are many people in this world who refuse to accept the true facts no matter how obvious they are.

        As Golding grew up during the war periods, he witnessed these “defects of human nature”. He explored these defects in the novel Lord of the Flies so that people can relate it to themselves, acknowledge the problem and find solutions for it before civilization is consumed by darkness and ruled by savagery and fear. As mentioned earlier, he hopes that the world unites as soon as possible as he knows that there is no one who can rescue this world from chaos and darkness.