The Lord of the Flies is considered a classic novel because it brings to light important issues about the human condition. To what extent do you agree with this?
William Golding’s the Lord of the Flies is a classic novel that chronicles the battle between one’s true character and savagery, and highlights some critical issues regarding human nature. This is illustrated through the dependence on physical appearance, as well as through the deterioration into beast-like creatures. This allows Golding to develop the island as a microcosm of the world in which the boys personify the conflicting traits of humanity. The gradual deterioration of all sense and order on the island portrays Golding’s concern about the darkness of humanity. The debacle about the “chief” of the island discloses the ignorance of humans to judge on physical achievements and appearance. The ‘us and them’ mentality is expressed here through the nomination for the leader. Jack boasts that he “can sing C#” and is “chapter chorister”, which he believes marks him out as a leader. This arrogance allows Golding to criticise the nature of humans to boast and believe that achievements alone make one superior and more qualified than others. The selection of Ralph as the chief also illustrates the significance of physical appearance in society. Ralph’s size and “attractive appearance” isolates him from the rest of the group.
The Essay on Gullivers Travels And Appearance
Jonathan Swift satirizes the nature of human beings by making the role of physical appearance important. Jonathan Swift ridicules human nature by making an example of Lemuel Gulliver as a Big, small, and out of the ordinary person throughout Gullivers Travels. In Book I, Lemuel Gulliver ends up on the island of Lilliputia. There, he meets a population of small persons, where he is a giant amongst ...
The illustration of Ralph and Jack is Golding’s criticism of the significance and power that physicality has in society. Golding’s criticism of humans carries on through the characterisation of Piggy. Piggy with his glasses, which symbolise intelligence, is overlooked due to “his ludicrous body” even though he “had brains”. The depiction of Piggy and Ralph embodies personifies the judgement established on appearance not skill, and alludes to politics in which politicians are often elected on popularity, not ability. Golding here criticises the ignorance of the human psyche to overlook unpopular people in society, and calls for more equality and judgement based on ability and character. Furthermore, a consideration into the human condition reveals mankind’s essential want to dominate over others and prove one is a worthy individual. Adjusting to the island by using the sun as a clock (the boys “grew accustomed to the mysteries”) allows Golding to propose that instead of the environment adapting to humans, it should be humans adjusting to the environment.
The displacement of the boulder, which resulted in the jungle to shake “with the passage of an enraged monster”, alludes to the massive human impact that we cause unto the environment and Golding here criticises humanity for the destruction of the ‘paradise’ the boys are surrounded with. This highlights Golding’s belief that humans are very powerful, even if they do not recognise the impact they have done. The World War 2 context of the novel relays this thought as the massive human impact caused by fighting for the desire of power and domination (“this belongs to us”).
In addition, the need to seek recognition is epitomised through the characterisation Jack and his desire to look ‘manly’. The “convulsion to track down the kill (pig)” devalues the pigs, portrayed as mere toys rather than live animals. Jack, who is a microcosm for the world in this scene, proclaims boastfully that he “got (the boys) meat”, and “could not bear to have his story told”, which is Golding’s satirical criticism that humanity is foolish to believe that manhood is all about toughness and physicality. This criticism is further embodied in the need to not lose face. Jack, who could not kill a pig in front of others, believes that he must make up for it “next time” to not lose face in front of others.
The Essay on How does Golding introduce Piggy, Jack and Ralph?
How does Golding introduce Piggy, Jack and Ralph? Golding introduces Piggy as an intelligent and more matured boy: "Nobody don't know we're here - We may stay here till we die" Piggy, unlike Ralph, is more aware of the situation and is focusing on the importance of no adults on the island. Piggy is shown looking on the logical, mature side of the situation whereas Ralph, much like most of the ...
This need to perform things in order to not lose face is Golding’s criticism of mankind that manliness does not stem from achievements and boasting, which applies universally due to our aspiration to not lose face. The exploration into the darkness of man’s heart exposes evidence for malice concealed in humans. The “painted faces” symbolise the mask that conceals the ‘evil’ inside all humans. Golding utilises Jack’s façade, which screens his “bloodthirsty snarling” and savagery, to criticise the macabre deeds that humans are capable of. Jack, who is a microcosm of all violence in the world, became “ape-like” when driven by the sadistic desire to kill. Through the use of imagery, Golding presents humans as “things….looking like something else”, which alludes to the violence caused by WWII. Here Golding theorises that humanity simply learns to hide their true character in order to survive and assimilate in society, even though they have the capacity to sanction and execute savage behaviour. The exposing of this true character is further revealed through the transformation of Jack and Roger as they personify the “darkness in man’s heart”; hacking at a pig they hunted, then sadistically smearing the “blood over (their) foreheads”.
Furthermore, the death of Piggy, who could control his character, evident in the recognition and retention of morality and knowledge, epitomise the evil in humans. By the time of Piggy’s death, Jack and the tribesmen were people that had “faded clean away” from the civilised schoolboys they had originated from, highlighting the transition to savagery, infected by the overwhelming power of evil. With the death of Piggy, and subsequently the conch, we witness the demise of wisdom and common sense (“stuff came out”).
The gruesome killing of Piggy via boulder reflects the horrors that Golding criticises over and over again through the novel. The lack of emotion that Roger experiences amplifies the macabre deeds that human can do and is an allusion to the gruesome acts in WWII, as well as Golding’s credence that humans are realistically evil-natured humans. This domination of the true character, as well as the macabre acts, highlights the darkness that is present in mankind.
The Essay on Golding Presents Jack Evil Hunt
... to let their evil instincts to manifest themselves as the person becomes increasingly savage. Int his novel, Golding presents a character (Jack) who takes ... pig and this pressure to perform to prove himself a true and worthy hunter, leads him to obsession over the hunt. ... sight of blood. He even pursues a human pray, and bows to a sacrificial evil god. What about this book that actually ...
The Lord of the Flies, through all its characterisation and illustrations, suggests to readers that all humans have a true identity veiled and all have a potential for savage behaviours, so we must be careful how we act. Mainly the novel was a critique of the human condition, presenting it as an incurable disease, such as the darkness in man’s heart, but the novel still offers redemption as the struggle was a courageous battle. The fight for stability and retention of morality signifies the greatness that humans can achieve. Through the novel, Golding successfully captures the fluctuating nature of the human condition, and thus offers valuable insights into the nature of humanity. `
