In Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses symbolism and themes to discuss the darker side of human nature. In Chapter 9-12, several key events take place that support this idea.
In Chapter 9, a parachutist falls to his death, and the boys find out that there is no rescue coming. This event represents the collapse of order and civilization. The boys are now forced to confront the darkness within themselves.
In Chapter 10, Jack leads a hunting party to capture a pig. This event represents the breaking of taboos and the descent into savagery. The boys are now willing to kill in order to survive.
In Chapter 11, Ralph and Piggy are chased by the Beast. This event represents the boys’ fear of the unknown and their willingness to believe in superstition. The Beast is a metaphor for the darkness within each of them.
In Chapter 12, Jack stages a coup and takes control of the group. This event represents the rise of evil and the triumph of savagery. Jack represents the worst aspects of human nature, while Ralph represents the best aspects. Golding is suggesting that if left to their own devices, humans will become brutal and selfish.
The next section begins when Simon is murdered, “The clouds parted, and rain poured down like a waterfall.” When the boys kill Simon, they not only murder him but also Christianity and whatever they perceive to be the monster. Because the beast was made by them and represented all of their sins, one can interpret it as man’s transgression. In this book, Simon is comparable to Jesus. During Christ’s ministry, Rome ruled the entire world; now a similar bloodthirsty society rules the island during Simon’s life.
Ralph weeps for Simon and the innocence that has been lost on the island. The Lord of the Flies is no longer just a story about a group of boys stranded on an island, it is now a story about the loss of innocence and how society can drive people to do terrible things. Golding shows this through his characters, who are gradually transformed from innocent children into savage killers.
Piggy represents intelligence and rational thinking, while Jack represents anger, hatred, and brute force. By the end of the novel, Jack has completely taken over the group and turned them into his own personal army. Ralph is left completely alone and struggling to survive in a world that he no longer understands. Lord of the Flies is an excellent commentary on the nature of mankind, and how it can quickly descend into darkness when left without rules or authority.
When Simon is slain, the rain washes away not only spirituality, but also the beast and all of the sins associated with it. Golding claims that the water “leapt from the mountain peak.” Because the mountain top symbolized humanity’s greatest achievement, this might be taken as implying that even man’s magnificent accomplishments carry corruption, suggesting that Simon’s sacrifice extended to the boys’ entire stay on the island and all of society’s sins committed during that period.
The Lord of the Flies is an allegorical novel that tells the story of a group of boys who are stranded on an island and must find a way to survive. The novel explores the themes of human nature and society. William Golding, the author, was a British naval officer during World War II. He was held prisoner on an island for several months, which is where he got the idea for the novel. Lord of the Flies was published in 1954.
We cannot lay the blame for these issues on the German people, who are a feature of humanity. We struggled against racism in World War II, but we treated the Japanese cruelly while all this was going on. Despite our own misery, we did not have to deal with the harsh conditions of the Treaty of Versailles. When a society is plagued with such terrible circumstances, it naturally searches for a scapegoat, such as a racial group. Hitler wouldn’t have risen to power if he didn’t have such broad support from the public.
The general population must be convinced that they are fighting for a good cause, and in the case of World War II, this was not always the case. Racism is something that is very easy to exploit, and it was used by Hitler and the Nazi party to gain power and control over the German people. It is important to remember that these problems are not unique to Germany, but are characteristic of human society as a whole. We must learn from our mistakes so that we do not repeat them in the future.
Because it was the whole society, not just Jack who killed Simon, staggering away is significant. It’s also worth noting that during this book, the boys’ civilization goes from strength to strength. They next invent a monster as a fall guy, claiming they can no longer climb the mountain and must return to their former glory as a result of it. Golding refers to Simon as the beast when he dies in this passage. This may be read both ways according to the Jesus hypothesis (as shown above), but it is also consistent with a new theory that attributes Simon’s death to his being society’s scapegoat.
In this case, Simon is the only one who does not want to harm the other boys and represents the ideal of civilization. He is killed as a way to rid the group of their guilt; much like an animal is sacrificed in order to bring good luck. This new interpretation shows that Lord of the Flies is not just a story about the fall of man, but also a story about the scapegoat mechanism.
Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a novel about a group of boys stranded on an island and their disastrous attempt at creating a society. The novel examines the idea of civilization and its downfall. At the beginning of the novel, Jack leads a group of boys in creating their own society with its own rules and order. As the novel progresses, Jack’s rules become more and more tyrannical and the boys’ society falls apart. One of the most significant events in the novel is the death of Simon.