In Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses the theme of human nature to show how easily society can collapse, and how self-destructive human nature is. Throughout the story Golding conveys a theme of how twisted human nature can lead us to be. Human nature makes us destructive as we panic. Golding includes many colorful characters to portray that men are inherently evil, but some choose to defy it.
He shows both good and evil through each of his characters. One of the characters that represents goodness is Simon. He is very good, and has the most positive outlook. Simon is very different from the other boys, he seems to always be helping the other vulnerable boys such as Piggy. "Simon sitting between the twins and Piggy, wiped his mouth and shoved his piece of meat over the rocks to Piggy, who grabbed it." (pg.74) This quote interprets an example of a time when Simon helped Piggy by giving him food, it shows Simon's hospitality. Another example would be when Simon helps the boys pick fruit from high to reach places.
Golding tries to show the evil within man through Jack. He is the leader of the hunters, the first time they find a pig, Jack stops, and couldn't kill the pig. That revealed how Jack was civilized, yet later on he would kill the pig without hesitation. "'We've got to have rules and obey them. After all, we're not savages. We're English, and the English are best at everything.'" (pg. 40) This quote depicts how Jack thought he would never become a savage, because he is "English" but in the end he is far more than a savage.
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