Lord of the Flies written by William Golding is a 1954 novel about a group of British boys stranded on an inhabited island after a plane crash and their unsuccessful attempts to govern themselves. Amongst the group of teenage boys is a boy named Ralph, who, after discovering a conch, becomes “the chief'' and claims himself leader. However as a conflict between Ralph, and another boy Jack rises, the group of survivors eventually split in two. Through the midst of conflicts, many pertinent themes arise that tell us a lot about the situation and the boy’s inner self. So, without further ado, let us join Ralph and Jack and the rest of the boys on their adventure on the inhabited island.
Inner evilness is the beast that lives within all humans. The “beast” that the boys are afraid of and is trying to hunt down is the evil that lives inside of them. By chapter 8 in the story, the boys have completely lost themselves, and have become completely immersed into savagery and barbarism that there is no turning back. Their inner evilness takes over them and controls them in a way that makes them act violent. The killing of the sow (pig) is symbolic as it shows that the beast, or cruelty, is inside each of the boys. Jack’s desire for power with violence showcases the inner evilness within himself. The boys also find many excuses to kill and be violent which is another example of the darkness of human nature. The makeup on their faces is a mask to hide their face, to hide their sense of shame and self esteem. The boys have given themselves to darkness, rather than challenging evil. The darkness of human nature is the beast that resides in all of us.
Fearing something is the solution to a problem. Everybody is afraid of something. But we mustn't let fear control us. It is evident that the boys are scared of the beast. However, being afraid of the beast and fearing it isn’t gonna make it disappear. Jack is desperate to enhance his leadership by capturing the beast. The boy’s fear of the beast causes them to create a type of religion/belief and this whole fandom of the beast due to their fear. Their fear of the beast prevents them from thinking critically which creates a vision in their brain of the beast being a live animal. They boys lose control over their fear and eventually fear is controlling them, causing them to kill and pig and sacrifice its head to the “beast”. Because fear is controlling them, the boys don’t realize the reality. They don’t realize that they are the beasts themselves. A beast does not know that he is a beast, instead, the nearer they are to becoming a beast, the more they are afraid of it. Worshiping fear isn’t the solution when you fear something.
Civilization and barbarism are two completely different concepts that when approached wrong can cause savageness. There are rules, regulations, and laws to oppress savageness. Ralph is a perfect example of this. He obeys the rules, commands others to obey the rules, and controls himself properly. However, as the boys explore life on the island, it is evident that barbarium is the reality. The boys hunt animals and use violence at all costs to survive. Though barbarium isn’t the ideal way to live, Jack’s method proves the work and has an immediate effect. Everyone is doing this, and there is no one to blame. This is how civilizations function; there will always be the civilized ones and those who’d rather live in a more barbaric way.
The Lord of Flies is a novel that in many aspects teaches us many important lessons and meanings of life. Throughout the story, we learn about the beast that lives within all of us. The death of the sow and Simon’s discovery of the beast symbolizes and teaches us that the beast that we fear is actually the one that lives deep down within us. We learn that the darkness of human nature is what builds up the beast inside of us. We also learn that fearing something will not solve a problem and worshiping our fears will only increase our fear of it. So let us join the boys, on their attempt to survive on their own while conquering the beast within them.
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