Essay about Lord of the Flies by William Golding

In William Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies one theme presented is that there is evil inside of everyone. Golding uses plot, actions, and symbolism to convey this theme.

Golding uses plot to demonstrate how the boys are changing throughout their days on the island and how violent they become. On page 200, Golding writes “The rock struck Piggy, a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist. Piggy, saying nothing, with no time for even a grunt, traveled through the air sideways from the rock, turning over as he went. The rock bounded twice and was lost in the forest. Piggy fell forty feet and landed on his back across the square red rock in the sea. ”This shows how once Piggy is gone since he was previously the reasoning of the island, the conch is also broken which once held the rules of the boys together. Once the conch was broken Jack chose to go after Ralph next and assassinate him. On page 219, the evilness of the boys truly shows, Golding wrote “Again the blue-white scar jagged above them and the sulphurous explosion beat down. The littluns screamed and blundered about, fleeing from the edge of the forest, and one of them broke the ring of biguns in his terror.” and also “The beast was on its knees in the center, its arms folded over its face. It was crying out against the abominable noise, something about a body on the hill. The beast struggled forward, broke the ring and fell over the steep edge of the rock to the sand by the water. At once the crowd surged after it, poured down the rock, leapt on to the beast, screamed, struck, bit, tore. There were no words and no movements but the tearing of teeth and claws. ”This shows how the weather also symbolizes how the boys are becoming on the island, right before Simon is killed there is a storm beginning that truly sounds evil on its own. While they’re killing Simon, it is shown that he's struggling and yelling yet the other boys simply don’t care, especially the ones closest to him beating on him. The author uses actions to develop his theme that a lack of adults and rules causes chaos Golding also uses symbolism to reveal this theme.

Golding uses actions of the characters to progress the theme that without adults and rules evil will develop in everyone. On page 96, the author writes “The pig’s head hung down with a gaping neck and seemed to search for something on the ground. At last the words of the chant floated up to them, across the bowl of blackened wood and ashes. “Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Spill her blood. ”The cruelness of the boys truly shows through this moment. They’re chanting while holding a lifeless pig and they’re proud of how they brutally murdered it, this would’ve never occurred when they first landed on the island but now that there are no adults and no rules they can truly do whatever they please and let go of the morals from the “other world.”