Lord of the Flies

Novel | William Golding

Illustrate the theme of good and evil as depicted in Lord of the Flies.

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Critically analyze the triumph of evil over good in 'Lord of the Flies' Or Illustrate the theme of good and evil as depicted in Lord of the Flies Or Illustrate the theme of good and evil in Lord of the Flies William Golding in his novel Lord of the Flies presents a deep study of human nature through the conflict between good and evil The novel shows how innocence disappears and evil wins when moral control breaks down Golding suggests that the roots of evil lie inside human beings Through the fall of order the murder of Simon and Piggy and the rise of savagery he shows the tragic triumph of evil over good Conflict Between Civilization and Savagery At the start Ralph represents order reason and civilization while Jack stands for savagery and violence Ralph says We ve got to have rules and obey them But Jack replies Bollocks

to the rules This marks the beginning of moral collapse The boys choose hunting and bloodlust over rescue and discipline Golding shows that evil begins when civilization loses its control The fight between Ralph and Jack is not just for power it is a battle between goodness and brutality Fall of Innocence The boys arrive on the island as innocent schoolchildren but slowly they change Fear of the imaginary beast turns them into killers Simon says wisely Maybe there is a beast maybe it s only us He means that the beast is inside them not outside When Simon is murdered by the frenzied mob it shows that purity and truth are destroyed by blind fear and violence This event clearly reveals how good is crushed when humans let evil take control of their hearts Destruction Of Reason And Morality Piggy represents intellect and rational thought He believes in law and peace He says Which is better to have rules and agree or to hunt and kill But no one listens to him When Roger rolls the rock that kills Piggy the conch also breaks The death of Piggy and the breaking of the conch symbolize the death of reason and justice Golding proves that without moral control human beings return to primitive cruelty where evil rules completely over good Simon as the Voice Of Goodness Simon is the only boy who truly understands human nature He realizes that the real Lord of the Flies is the evil within man When he says I m the Beast I m part of you He speaks the truth that all people carry evil inside them Simon s kindness calmness and insight make him a Christ-like figure His death at the hands of the mob shows that the world often rejects goodness His murder marks the moral downfall of the island s society Final Triumph of Evil By the end the boys become full savages They hunt Ralph like an animal and the island burns Fire once a symbol of hope becomes a weapon of destruction Ralph weeps as Ralph wept for the end of innocence Evil has triumphed over good but it brings only loss and guilt When the naval officer arrives the boys are ashamed Golding shows that civilization only hides evil it never destroys it The darkness within humans wins whenever order and morality disappear To sum up William Golding powerfully shows how easily goodness can be destroyed by inner evil The deaths of Simon and Piggy the fall of order and the rise of savagery all prove that evil is stronger than good when fear and greed control the mind The novel warns that man s worst enemy lies within himself

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