Lord of Flies by William Golding is a dystopian novel talking about a group of pre-teen boys being stranded on an island. Supposedly, children aren’t supposed to be monsters, but we see the boys committing unspeakable acts of violence and brutality as the time goes on, as each of them fight for leadership and control over others. Every bit of morality and human dignity leaves them as they resort to nothing but violence and wrongdoings. They stop resembling preteen boys and more like murderers. They kill a mother pig as a trophy, and they even murder one of their own. This shows what can happen to a group of boys when they are left alone to fend for themselves, without anyone guiding them.
Worship comes with an element of fear that leads to terrible things, like the beast did. The beast was a creature revered and feared at the same time by the boys. The beast was first just a fallen pilot, and the boys mistaken it for the beast. But over time, it became a symbol of fear and violence for everyone. They worshiped it, and wanted to offer sacrifices, but at the same time, they were afraid. This showed how hypocritical they were, and maybe also alludes to religion in a certain way. A lot of people fear their God, but worship him at the same time. For example, they don’t want to be caught doing bad things because they think they will go to hell, but at the same time they pray to the same god every night. The existence of the beast led to the boys becoming more and more violent over time. They kill a helpless mother pig feeding her young, and they even beat Simon, one of the more spiritual and peaceful boys to death. This shows how a very strong belief can lead people to do bad things.
This book also shows why laws and regulations are in place, as we see what happens in a place where there are no laws. Laws are put into place to keep society regulated and peaceful, and not to make our lives miserable, as illegal things are almost never beneficial. For example, we see the boys live in a place where there are no laws, so they resort to violence to prove themselves. Their masculine urges to fight become unleashed and uncontrolled as they act like brutes. Laws are in place for a reason, and most of the time, it’s to minimize problems and keep society civil. The boys definitely were not able to stay peaceful without laws of civil society, and started behaving terribly and resorting to murder to entertain and to survive. At the end, when they were finally discovered, the man was very much disgusted with their behavior. This shows how terrible they have been: even a full grown man cannot comment on the extent of the atrocities. After seeing so many terrible things happen, we understand why we have laws
Human nature is dark, unbearably dark at times, and we can understand as we advance through the story. One of the most “innocent” groups of people can turn so unbelievably evil, to a point where we cannot understand. Sometimes we forget that all the boys were pre-teens, not even in high school. They have their own lives before they decide to be violent on the island. This shows that everyone can turn bad quickly, if the situation and surroundings toughens them. All the boys, except for Simon who succumbs to his fellow peers’ desire for blood and violence, wanted to hurt others. They liked hunting, not any kind of hunting, but trophy hunting of a mother kid, and they did not hesitate to kill their friend, just because they thought he was the beast. Their time on the island completely destroyed any sense of compassion or logic from their minds, as all they can think of is to fight and to be violent. Anyone can be evil.
In conclusion, Lord of Flies by William Golding is a story that shows how without rules, even the most vulnerable of people can become terrible. He depicted a group of school boys as monsters, and showed what really happens when they are left alone in the wild without parents or adults. This may allude to real life too: kids left behind by their parents or orphans tend to experience less guidance and love, which causes them to become coldhearted and sociopathic as adults. This tells us to value the children in our community, because when they are left without any guidance, they can start doing bad things, and one day it will be too late to turn back.
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