Essay on The Two Faces of Man Exposed in The Lord of the...

The Two Faces of Man Exposed in The Lord of the Flies William Golding was inspired by his experiences in the Royal Navy during World War II when he wrote Lord of the Flies (Beetz 2514). Golding has said this about his book: The theme is an attempt to trace the defeats of society back to the defects of human nature. The moral is that the shape of society must depend on the ethical nature of the individual and not on any political system however apparently logical or respectable. The whole book is symbolic in nature except the rescue in the end where adult life appears, dignified and capable, but in reality enmeshed in the same evil as the symbolic life of the children on the island. (Epstein 204) In the novel he†¦show more content†¦A conch shell is used to call assemblies and decisions are voted on (Golding 17, ch. 1). The fire that they try to keep going on the top of the mountain is a symbol of their civilized society because it represents their hopes for rescue and a return to their ordinary lives (Michel-Michot 175). Unfortunately, the children soon grow tired of this civilized life. They want to have fun and quickly lose interest in whatever job they are doing. Ralph states the problem when he says to the group of children, Å’We have lots of assemblies. Everybody enjoys speaking and being together. We decide things. But they dont get done. We were going to have water brought from the stream and left in those coconut shells under fresh leaves. So it was for a few days. Now theres no water. The shells are dry. People drink from the river. (Golding 79; ch. 5) All of their resolutions soon degrade and fall apart. The society gives into its more primitive side and now only concerns itself with having fun. Hunting, which originally was only a practice of getting food so that they could survive until they were rescued becomes all important. (Michel-Michot 175-6) All of the childrens fears become condensed into a monster that they fear and awe. They make sacrifices to the beast to appease it and ke ep themselves safe (Golding 137; ch. 8). In the end, their grand society becomes no better thanShow MoreRelatedLord of the Flies by William Golding and A Separate Peace by John Knowles815 Words   |  4 Pagesforces them to face it. Lord of the Flies by William Golding and A Separate Peace by John Knowles are two books that emphasize man’s savagery through their characters, themes, and plots. At first, all men have hidden savagery, then something triggers the savagery within them, and they complete the transformation. The human race holds a dark side lurking within them. 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