Evil In Everyone In Lord Of The Flies By William Golding
Evil in Everyone
Evil is in everyone, including the levelheaded and civilized Ralph. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, Ralph is presented as an honest and fair leader, but he quickly develops a darker side as he takes part in the demonic game of killing. He begins with what seems as an unbreakable connection with the order of the outside world. Ralph is democratic, civilized, and strives to please everyone. However his civilized manner washes away, and he becomes blood thirsty along with the rest of the boys. On the island without adult authority keeping them in line, the boys are hit with the full effect of evil. Ralph symbolizes commonsense, order, and civilization, but is not completely untouched by the evil in mankind and indulges …show more content…
He exhibits another side of himself who is similar in nature to the savage hunters. He is unable to resist joining the hunters’ fiendish chant and pig hunt. Like the others, Ralph has become savage and has strayed away from the order of civilization that had originally influenced him. Overwhelmed by the savagery present in all the boys, including themselves, “Piggy and Ralph, under the threat of the sky, found themselves eager to take a place in this demented but partly secure society… ‘Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!’’ (Golding 152). Ralph symbolizes commonsense and order; however, he is influenced by the darkness in man and is excited to be a part of the “partly secure society” of the hunters. Darkness is inside every man and is present in society. The island that was once a paradise and is now looming with darkness as Ralph shouts the demonic chant. The “threat of the sky” casts an evil shadow over the order Ralph attempted to create and throws the boys into a killing frenzy. According to the literary criticism “A Study of ‘Game Metaphor’ in Golding’s Lord of the Flies,” by D David Wilson, “Ralph is unable to avoid the instinctive excitement of the hunt and gets caught up in the other boys’ bloodlust” (Wilson 55). Ralph’s commonsense and logic is pushed aside by “the instinctive excitement” revolving around the
Evil is in everyone, including the levelheaded and civilized Ralph. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, Ralph is presented as an honest and fair leader, but he quickly develops a darker side as he takes part in the demonic game of killing. He begins with what seems as an unbreakable connection with the order of the outside world. Ralph is democratic, civilized, and strives to please everyone. However his civilized manner washes away, and he becomes blood thirsty along with the rest of the boys. On the island without adult authority keeping them in line, the boys are hit with the full effect of evil. Ralph symbolizes commonsense, order, and civilization, but is not completely untouched by the evil in mankind and indulges …show more content…
He exhibits another side of himself who is similar in nature to the savage hunters. He is unable to resist joining the hunters’ fiendish chant and pig hunt. Like the others, Ralph has become savage and has strayed away from the order of civilization that had originally influenced him. Overwhelmed by the savagery present in all the boys, including themselves, “Piggy and Ralph, under the threat of the sky, found themselves eager to take a place in this demented but partly secure society… ‘Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!’’ (Golding 152). Ralph symbolizes commonsense and order; however, he is influenced by the darkness in man and is excited to be a part of the “partly secure society” of the hunters. Darkness is inside every man and is present in society. The island that was once a paradise and is now looming with darkness as Ralph shouts the demonic chant. The “threat of the sky” casts an evil shadow over the order Ralph attempted to create and throws the boys into a killing frenzy. According to the literary criticism “A Study of ‘Game Metaphor’ in Golding’s Lord of the Flies,” by D David Wilson, “Ralph is unable to avoid the instinctive excitement of the hunt and gets caught up in the other boys’ bloodlust” (Wilson 55). Ralph’s commonsense and logic is pushed aside by “the instinctive excitement” revolving around the