The important moment in the novel Lord of the flies Essay Example for Free

The important moment in the novel Lord of the flies Essay Lord of the flies focuses mainly on the corruption and inherent evil of humanity. Ralph, Jack and Simon are, in some ways, stereotypes of different aspects of human nature. Ralph is the obvious candidate for chief of the island, as he is of just nature and a commanding presence. We are also told that there was a stillness about Ralph that encourages the boys to elect him as their chief. Jack represents the darker side of humanity. Jack is not long in severing any links with civilisation. He heeds his savage, pre-historic instincts, and becomes dog-likeon all foursnose only a few inches from the humid earth. He is like an animal, his sole desire being to kill the pig. Cut her throat. Spill her blood. He enjoys the act of killing, announcing proudly that he had a smashing timeI cut the pigs throat. He laughingly adds that there was lashings of blood every whereyou should have seen it! His darker side gradually influences Ralph, who grows jealous of Jacks popularity and is envious of the fact that Jack is able to provide meat for the boys, while, he, as chief, cannot. The book reaches a turning point at the next, improvised, hunt of the boar. What started as a harmless exploration for the beast becomes a bloodthirsty chase of the boar. Ralph is delighted when he hits the boar and the spear stuck in a bit and he decides that hunting was good after all. Things take a more sinister turn when the boys decide to re-enact the hunt. After the first, successful hunt in which Jack kills the pig, the hunters replay events by forming a ring, Maurice pretended to be the pig and ran squealing into the centre, and the hunterspretended to beat him. This is harmless game, during which the hunters dance around the pig, singing their hunting chant of Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Bash her in. The corruption of purity and goodness is seen when the boys play the same game after their next (failed) hunt. This time Robert is the squealing pig, trapped in the centre of circle, the hunters circling him, singing their warrior chant. The game soon ceases to playful, as Roberts mock terror turns to pain. The others are seized with a desire to Kill him! Kill him! uncaring of the fact that Robert is human, one of them, and not a pig. Robert was screaming and struggling, yet he ceases to become a person and is now merely an object by which their thirst to kill might be quenched. Jack was brandishing his knifeRalph was fightingto get a handful of that brown, vulnerable fleshthe desireto hurt was over-mastering, Golding causes this to be important incident in the novel, the beginnings of a full realisation of Simons belief that maybe there is a beastmaybe its only us, is not a comment to be jeered at, for it is a frightening comprehension of reality. Robert escapes with a few, physical injuries, crying out, in an effort to lighten to the situation Oh, my bum! Ralph tries to convince that it was just a game, like rugger. This uneasiness is justified when the boys discuss methods of improving their game. Robert believes that they want a real pigbecause youve got to kill him. Jack, not altogether jokingly, suggests that they should Use a littlun. This suggestion is made more disturbing by the reaction of the other boys, for instead of being horrified, everybody laughed. Goldings brief ending to the passage leaves us disgusted by the callousness of Jacks remark and of his flippant attitude to the murder of a fellow human being, but it is worryingly representative of the callousness humankind. Jacks joke warns us of the increase of evil on the island, for the idea of using a littlun, may soon stop being an idea and become a reality. The passage is disturbing because we see that the boys lust for blood and death is indiscriminate of whether their victim is an animal or human. Killing is not a means of providing food for the boys; it is a way of satisfying their longing to cause pain and destruction. They are desperate to kill, a mere pig is not enough, they are not worth the trouble of a hunt, and their next victim shall be a human, for it will increase the enjoyment of their game. The boys do not care for the adventure of the hunt. They want only the exhilaration of killing, the sight of the blood and the joy of controlling the existence of another being. In order for a pig to be killed, it must first be found. The hassle of a search can be avoided by substituting the pig with a human. It is almost inevitable that the boys gratify their lust with human blood, perhaps with the blood of a littlun. The game is a horrifying example of how evil humanity can be. The dark side of human nature thinks nothing of killing a friend. We are shocked by Ralphs longing to cause pain, Jacks desire to stab Robert with his knife and Roger fighting to get close. But the thing that frightens us the most is the fact that this is not a figment of Goldings imagination, Ralph, Jack and the other islanders are not irrelevant fiction, for human kind is capable of great evil. I feel that the passage in the book is disturbing because it shows us how horrifyingly able we are to be unfeeling and cruel.