Topic > William Folding's Lord of the Flies: The Influence of...

Golding makes it clear that evil is a part of all humans through the discussion of the beast. Simon realizes that evil is within them, not just in the boys on the island, but in everyone's hearts, when he speaks to the Lord of the Flies. The Lord of the Flies never speaks to Simon; Golding chooses to make Simon hallucinate so he can hear the boys' voices in Simon's mind. The sow confronts Simon with the truth, questions Simon: "You knew that, didn't you? I'm part of you?" (Golding 143). The sow confirms the reality that the beast is without any regard inside Simon as well as in all the other boys. Although the beast is within the children, Golding never shows Simon any evil intent. Instead it causes Simon to deny the beast's accusations and causes him to pass out from shock and confusion: “Simon found himself looking into an immense mouth, a widening darkness” (Golding 144). The sow's head, or the Lord of the Flies, represents the evil found in the hearts and minds of boys. Golding shows the sow's head as a symbolic object. The head allowed Simon to understand and listen to his inner thoughts about evil. Golding uses this conversation between the Lord of the Flies and Simon to fully demonstrate that the "beast" hides within the boys and therefore is a natural essence of the boys and humanity. William Golding makes this clear by using Jack's description and actions to show that evil is the natural essence of all humanity. As the story develops, Golding shows that Jack is selfish, violent, and dishonest as he has been driven "to violence...and finally capable of hitting someone" (Golding 71). Additionally, Jack's description towards the end of the book reveals how by cheating... halfway through the paper... I would receive punishment for throwing sand in someone's eyes, thus leading them to apologize. There is no adult who can punish Maurice for his guilt, but he still feels guilty and begins to make up an excuse. When Maurice's violent side appears, the reader should also notice why Golding makes Maurice act this way. Golding shows Maurice's violent side because there are no rules or laws to stop Maurice from acting badly. like all other human beings, he is trained to apologize for his actions but his inner "beast" informs him that he will not receive punishment for his actions. Therefore, Golding is showing that without parents, rules, or laws there is no one to stop Maurice, the other kids, or humans from committing an act of violence or evil. Golding argues that humans are capable of performing evil acts if no punishment is involved.