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In Lord of the Flies, William Goldberg uses a group of British boys from a private school to demonstrate the masked diabolical nature of humans, and how if given the opportunity, men will turn into savages. Mr. Golding shows us that within each person there is a primitive evil that will break loose if it is not curbed by the strong order of civilization, that there is a monster lurking beneath the calm exterior of mundane, ordinary humans. On a deserted island, the boys illustrate the wicked, malicious nature of humanity. Their innate evil is revealed gradually as they adapt to their secluded freedom. The true, constant but ever-oppressed, nature of man has no conscience, morals, rules, obligations and restrictions.
It is contented with brutality, as it is cruelty itself. Man, in its true and unrestricted state, is intrinsically evil. Evil confined within man will break loose with the absence of the chains of moral society. The events throughout the novel show the deterioration of civilization and the synchronicity between this and the descent into savagery. Almost immediately after their arrival on the island, the boys sought authoritative figures, laws, restraints and the stability of modern society. Even without conscious acknowledgment, the boys recognize that society keeps them safe, that they need society to re-enforce perceived notions of propriety and appropriate moral code.
They recognize that without the fear of consequences, there is nothing preventing them from fulfilling their darkest desires. An example of this concept is Roger's choice to throw rocks at Percival, deliberately aiming to miss him but only because of the remainder of society's influence. Rogers arm was conditioned by a civilization that knew nothing of him and was in ruin (pg. 65). Society is keeping Percival safe, but as soon as society ceases to exist, there is no guarantee of protection and civility among the boys. The boys retain a source of joy and fulfilment from killing.
They surrender their civil sides and give into their darker, savage nature. The boys, Jack in particular, obtain an all-consuming case of bloodlust. They hold wild, ceremonial dances provoked by the excitement of the kill. In the beginning, it is only Jack and the hunters who feel compelled to kill but eventually, inevitably all the boys feel a need satisfy such desires. They proceed to commit violent and disgraceful acts seeking as much pleasure out of the slaughtering of pigs as they do the food they receive.
The sow collapsed under them and they were heavy and fulfilled upon her (pg. 149). They view killing as a gratifying and essentially pleasing act. Killing causes primal satisfaction and elates joy from the boys. Murder, in the eyes of the children, deserved no penitence or remorse. Even after the death of Simon, Jack and his tribe did not feel any contrition to what they had done; killing was second nature. They did not feel any remorse for the murder they had consciously committed.
To them, it was almost a pretentious accomplishment. The murder of Simon, while not pre-meditated, was a vile, vicious and cognizant decision. The inner-evil of the boys possessed them to persistently batter Simon even after they could reasonably comprehend his identity. The boys surged after it, poured down the rock, leapt on [Simon], screamed, struck, bit, tore yet they will not admit responsibility nor regret for these actions (pg. 169). The beast lives within the boys; it is the evil, which dweller inside even the most respectable man. Man is innately and indisputably evil.
Without constant reinforcement of the bond to society, men will disregard any basic consensus of right and wrong; they will slowly regress to their primitive and savage instincts. Men will retain enjoyment, and a sense of contentment from the completion of violent and controlling acts. They will, if unrestrained by society, kill and feel no repentance, guilt or shame. Our true nature compels us to commit even the most brutal and savage acts, things that are unfathomable to minds bound by society. We like control, power and winning; this is the monster or the beast inside of all of us.
If freed to grow, this evil would consume us, devour us from the inside out because that is where it rests: inside of us. Bibliography: Lord of the Flies, William Golding
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