William Golding?s Lord of the Flies is a sordid tale about a group of kids who are stranded on a deserted island after their plane crashes. The story is set during the Atomic War and plenty of references are made to the fact. However, the real key to the story lies in the role of Beelzebub, Lord of the Flies. Beelzebub has a central role in the story as he represents the Beast, or evil, that dwells within all humans. The Beast cannot be hunted and since it dwells within all humans, humans are all guilty because mankind is sick. The destruction of mankind is a point that Golding makes apparent often in this novel. He establishes early on that Beelzebub is a force within all humans that drives them to destroy and maim. In the story the central emblem of the story lies in the dead airman. The boys mistake him for Beelzebub and basically begin to worship him. In fact, the most effective portrayal of Beelzebub appears early in the novel in the form of the dead airman. The parachute carries him through the night to the top of the mountain, where his body is entangled in the trees. It is in the way in which he is hung that makes it appear as if he was sitting on a throne of some sort.
Sam n Eric first come upon it and are scared to death at the mere sight of it. However, when the whole group returns to the site the horrific monstrosity bewilders them. In this quote from the book it clearly states the group?s actions. ? Behind them the sliver of moon had drawn clear the horizon. Before them something like a great ape was sitting asleep with its head between his knees. Then, the wind roared in the forest, there was confusion in the darkness and the creation lifted its head, holding toward them a ruin of a face. ? The experience alone accelerates the deterioration of the already weak civilization of the group. The experience brings young Jack to committing himself fully to the newfound dark religion. (Johnston, 126) Beelzebub was the cause for accelerating the destruction of the boys. He was not the outright cause. The Atomic War generated the novel; it was the sole reason that brought the boys to live on the island in the first place. It is in this sense that the boys only duplicated the adult society that had been crashing down around them while they were part of the civilized world. Golding uses the dead airman to continue the war on throughout the novel.
The Essay on Story Group Pressure
If someone asked you to jump off a bridge with two of your friends, would you do it? Peer pressure is defined by social pressure from members of one's peer group to take a certain action, adopt certain values, or otherwise conform in order to be accepted. There are many types of peer pressure; a common one is group pressure. Drunk driving is defined as operating a motor vehicle after consuming ...
With each new day the boys become more and more savage. One by one the boys lose sanity. Beelzebub is slowly entering the boys, and through the use of Jack as a minister of evil, delivering the boys to insanity and corruption. (Gindin, 160) Golding however does offer mankind hope through the character of Simon. Simon is the one character in the story that knew how to deal with Beelzebub. The day before Simon dies he learns that Beelzebub dwells within and cannot be hunted by humans. Simon finds that the evil Beelzebub represents is inside people and ineradicable. Simon is the only character in the novel to come to terms with the darkness and impending doom of the group?s situation. Simon looks darkness in the face and, with great courage, comes to terms with the ignoble nature of mankind. Beelzebub has blinded every other member of the group. Piggy, for instance, pins all blame on Jack. Piggy misses the point because Jack is only the minister for a greater evil. Jack is to blame only in the sense that he lives in all of us, that we are all guilty because mankind is sick. Still, Simon is the one exception to this general condemnation. Simon is the one spiritually sound person on the island. Simon is an epileptic and it is sickness that makes him a saint. Simon is not interested in leadership and prefers to keep to himself. Rather than involve himself in the promotion of the self, Simon concentrates on the nature of reality. He is one of the meek, of the poor in spirit, who are promised the kingdom of heaven, not the congratulations and rewards of earthly fortune.
The Term Paper on Fat Boy Ralph Boys Jack
Character PageRalphRalph is a fair boy of about twelve. He is the first character introduced in the story and is a dominant leader throughout most of the book. He finds the conch, a symbol of order and authority. He blows the conch and holds an assembly in which he is voted chief. Ralph stays focused on getting rescued and building shelters while most of the others play and hunt. By the end all ...
After the group removes Simon the decline in morality is greatly accelerated. Golding does not immediately symbolize this acceleration though. He allows it to flow from a series of events instead. First, the ?littluns? complain of seeing an imaginary beast; the fear that has manifested itself out of their own imaginations. Beelzebub finds an outlet through the dead airman. The hunters, who revert to the most primitive form of expiation, plant the head of a dead pig on a stick as a blood sacrifice to Beelzebub. Simon comes upon the head, and his confrontation with it is dramatically heralded by the disappearance of the butterflies. (Dick, 38) Simon has a vision in which the head speaks to him. During this vision the pig?s head tells Simon that Beelzebub cannot be hunted because it lives within all of humans. Simon is overwhelmed by the experience and faints. Simon comes out of the vision with a newfound knowledge and understanding. He knows what Beelzebub is and he knows how to conquer it. However before Simon can ever reach the others Beelzebub has already spread its darkness over Jack and the others. In a barbaric ritual Simon is slain in a fit of bloodthirsty rage by basically every member of the group. With Simon out of the picture the boys are hurdled into a whirlwind of destruction and mayhem.
Ralph and Piggy are now the only mainstays of any sense of justice left on the island. Jack and the others slowly begin to become more sinister with each passing day. Ralph and Piggy represent the last remnants of humanity on the island. Jack has converted most of the boys into his dark hunters. Each day they go out in search of fresh prey and each night they pay homage to the Lord of the Flies. Beelzebub now with his full influence over Jack and the hunters is rapidly racing for the goal of boys destruction. What started out as a civilized group of school children has now turned into a barbaric cult of violence and rage. Roger manages to kill Piggy by rolling a rock and crushing the poor boy to his death. Afterwards in a show of true evil the boys cannibalize Piggy?s remains. Ralph is the sole remainder of humanity left on the island. Jack and Roger set the island on fire in order to snuff Ralph out of hiding so they can butcher him as they did Piggy. Ralph flees the jungle to the beach where on approaching he is greeted by a naval officer with a ship in the distance.
The Essay on “Dear Boy” By Lord Chesterfield
Eighteenth century author, Lord Chesterfield, in his letter “Dear Boy,” conveys caution to his son. Chesterfield”s purpose is to advise his son on life, not as a dictator, but, as a friend. He adopts a cautious attitude in order to provide his son with helpful counseling. In this letter “Dear Boy,” the author shifts from a friendly tone to a more strict tone to make known the importance of all he ...
In that moment Ralph realizes the sheer monstrosity of what he has just witnessed. Jack and the other boys to are slammed head on by the presence of civilization. Beelzebub?s tight reign over them had ended but at what cost? Through the influence Beelzebub the boys had murdered 3 of their comrades and practically destroyed the island. Golding uses this to make a direct reference to the Atomic War that was going on around them. As stated earlier, the boys had duplicated the war on the island. Much like the outside world, all humanity was lost. The boys were sick with power and evil, much like the world outside the island. War had corrupted their very souls and they had become savages in order to appease the devil that dwelled within. As humans we cannot escape evil. Beelzebub dwells within every human soul and it cannot be hunted or driven away. Mankind is sick and guilty for giving into these sins. However, mankind is not lost. Through the use of reason and civilized means we can escape the grasp of Beelzebub and its dark reign of anarchy. Beelzebub served as a means of destruction in the story. He accelerated the boys fall of grace. Although the boys failed that does not condemn mankind. Hope is offered through the story in the form of a young, epileptic name Simon. Simon stood for the weak that fought with the nature of reason rather than with a bloodthirsty rage. Mankind needs only to look at Simon?s example as a guide of how to do it. Reason and virtue will always conquer over rage and violence. Wars are not the answers to every global conflict. Every war we have, we have to pass on to our children. In the end mankind is saved by the nature of reason not the use of war.
Bibliography:
Bibliography McCarron, Kevin. William Golding. Northcote House Publishers Ltd. 1994. 1-5. Bloom, Harold. ? Introduction. ? Modern Critical Interpretations: William Golding?s Lord of the Flies. Ed. Harold Bloom. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers. 1999. 1. Rosenfield, Claire. ? Men of a Smaller Growth ? Modern Critical Interpretations: William Golding?s Lord of the Flies. Ed. Harold Bloom. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers. 1999. 10. Johnston, Arnold. ? Lord of the Flies: Fable, Myth, and Fiction ? Modern Critical Interpretations: William Golding?s Lord of the Flies. Ed. Harold Bloom. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers. 1999. 126. Dick, Bernard F. ? Golding?s use of Beezlebub. ? Bloom?s Notes: William Golding?s Lord of the Flies. Ed. Harold Bloom. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers. 1996. 38-39. Golding, William. ? William Golding on the Purpose of Lord of the Flies. ? Bloom?s Notes: William Golding?s Lord of the Flies. Ed. Harold Bloom. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers. 1996. 34-35. Gindin, James. ? The Fictional Explosion.? Bloom?s Notes: William Golding?s Lord of the Flies. Ed. Harold Bloom. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers. 1996. 160.
The Essay on How Do William Golding and Williams Shakespeare Present Disturbed Characters?
How do William Golding and William Shakespeare present disturbed characters? In Lord of the Flies Golding presents disturbed characters as savage and blood-thirsty. After his own experience in world war two, he seems to believe everybody has a savage personality and thriving which is brought out through an extreme situation. Golding uses the technique of evoking emotion from the reader through the ...
