Human Nature in Lord of the Flies Essay -- essays

Human Nature in Lord of the Flies Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, is a captivating narrative in which the reader lives through the trials and tribulations of a society set up and run by a group of marooned British teens. Golding believes that the basic nature of the individual is evil. The group ultimately proves this thesis by their actions. The evils of the individual are shown through the actions of the group’s hunter Jack, the murders of two members of the society, Simon and Piggy, the attempted murder of the group’s leader Ralph, and the ultimate destruction of the island. Jack has a natural longing to be number one, he was not satisfied with being the leader of the hunters, and this ultimately caused many of the conflicts in the novel. Jack as a senior member of the group felt that he had every right to be the leader and in this he caused the downfall of the society. He used the skills he learned as the leader of the hunters to turn the society against Ralph and the members that would not follow him in his quest to be number one. Simon is the...