Human Nature in Lord of the Flies by William Golding (Essay Example)

Everyone has heard of Lord of the Flies, and rightfully so. Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding, tells of human nature and how different aspects of thought collide. The book is about a group of boys who crash onto an island and must survive until they are inevitably rescued. Each of the boys, and their respective groups, reflect an important aspect of human nature and emotions. One of these factions is Jack and his followers. All of the characters represent a unique facet of the human psyche. Jack is known as the authoritarian leader on the island. He rules by strength and fear yet somehow he has managed to gather a cult-like following. Jack and his followers represent how human emotions can take over our physiological, physical, and social tendencies.

The first tactic that Jack mastered was the psychological domination of weaker kids on the island. Jack ruled using fear to gain followers. Jack justifies going back up the mountain by saying, “‘I'm going up the mountain to look for the beast―now’”(Golding 271). We see this use of the beast time and time again. Jack uses the beast to instill fear in all of the children. With the ever-present threat of the beast, the children swarm to Jack for the sense of safety he provided with his alter-ego. When Jack finally becomes the chief of his own tribe it is immediately obvious that he no longer thinks he needs the beast. Jack says, “‘Forget the beast!’” (302). This speaks to human emotion because we tend to look for safety, even at the expense of our wellness. Once he has gained power he no longer has to use the beast to instill fear in the others, however, he learns that he must continue using its existence to maintain power. All of this use of fear to obtain and maintain control makes it clear to us that human emotions can overrule rational thought in times of intense emotions. This is comparable to nearly all forms of authoritarian rule that we have seen in the real world such as Germany during World War 2 and its use of Jews as a scapegoat. The use of fear is what allows leaders to overrule practical and rational thought and strike at the emotions of the citizens, and that is exactly what happened in this situation with Jack and his tribe. 

In many situations, Jack physically dominates others simply because he is the strongest and most willing. He has this ego that calls him to be more aggressive than he truly is and this is added onto by the face paint that masquerades his identity. Drastic, and often dangerous, actions are often carried out when we believe that there will be no consequences and this can be known for a fact because the internet exists and there are a plethora of examples of this stemming from it. The internet allows you to feel that your identity is hidden and thus we make emotional and irrational decisions. A good example of this exertion of force proving to himself and others that he is who he claims to be is when he goes after Piggy. This is proven when Golding writes, “He was a chief now in truth, and he made stabbing motions with his spear. From his left hand dangled Piggy's broken glasses” (385). This perfectly illustrates the fake identity that Jack has coerced himself into. Jack is becoming the animal he claimed to be. By living under this facade for so long he eventually begins to forget his prior self and falls into an uncontrolled emotional spiral. Piggy is physically weaker and impaired. Human nature has us often picking on people who are deemed less than us. This is the case because humans tend to enjoy feeling strong and dominant over others. A great case can be made for this claim when you look at the United States dropping the nuclear bomb. This exertion of power was not necessary nor humane but was done in order to assert power over those who were deemed less. Earlier in the book, Jack can be found in his true state. When climbing the mountain, Jack decides to walk behind Ralph, the fair and just kid who represents democracy, and this is simply because Jack is not who he claims to be. It can be fairly assumed that everyone has a persona that they wish to achieve. When faced with any perceivable amount of danger, Jack falls back into his true self. His emotions rule over the facade that Jack has been tirelessly maintaining for the whole duration of their time on the island. Jack is truly weak but wants to appear stronger so that he can maintain the necessity of protection against the beast. So long as there is a necessity for protection, or at least as the kids perceive it as so, they will irrationally turn to him. Jack, like most others, does not want to appear weak, yet is still susceptible to human emotions such as fear. Jack wants to appear fearless to his tribe, but in many circumstances, he is the most emotional kid on the island and that is what makes him the most human. Another great example of this explosion of untamed human emotion is when Jack has one of his tribe members, Wilfred, tied up and beaten. When Robert is asked about this he responds with, “‘I don't know. He didn't say. He got angry and made us tie Wilfred up. He's been tied for hours’” (383). No amount of intellectual or practical thought would lead to an act such as this. Another telling detail is the fact that none of the tribe questions this. The tribes' emotions take control, as is the case for most of the book, and does not question the reasoning behind the apparently random torture. This is not the only example of human emotion thwarting any rational and intellectual thought on the island. The fact that Jack gains more popularity and power than Ralph shows that emotions triumph over rational thought when approached with decisions that hold weight.

Now we must look at the bigger picture. This of course is the social structure of the Island and how it gravitated towards an emotional and unstable leadership despite the fact that Jack showed worrying signs from the start. From the start, Jack is an advocate for rules and suppression. Early on, Jack makes a worrying statement that foreshadows the atrocities that will occur later in the book. Jack exclaims, “‘We’ll have rules! Lots of rules! Then when anyone breaks 'em―’” (70). This extreme exclamation of an authoritarian rule should have petrified the kids. If they had applied any amount of intellectual thought to the situation they would have realized the implications such a claim has. This statement is a direct foreshadowing of the violence and animalistic tendencies that Jack would exercise later in the book. This overuse of rules is a textbook example of how authoritarian regimes, such as Italy during World War 1, use overreaching rules to maintain control. Another great example of this untamed aggression is when Jack reaches a tipping point and decides in favor of outright violence against the other kids. Jack proposes, “‘We'll raid them and take fire.’” (309). Jack and his tribe agree to raid and pillage the other tribe. This was an unnecessary act of violence, and this is evident because Ralph claims they would have willingly shared the fire with them and thus makes the actions of Jacks' tribe emotionally impulsive and irrational. After Jack denounced the idea of the beast, Jack reinstates the concept of the beast once more. This is because the use of the beast is essential to Jacks' rule. The more emotions are involved the more likely rational and practical thought will be thrown away for more lucrative solutions that can exclusively form from emotional, rather than practical, thought. 

Jack and his tribe are the epitome of human nature. This cult perfectly demonstrates how emotional thought can dominate nearly any trace of rational thought. This only occurs when emotions are involved in decision-making, but the gruesome reality is that humans can not avoid the influence of emotions when making decisions. Jack and his tribe show how emotions can be triumphant over any other forms of thought, and he shows this physically, psychologically, and socially. In other words, Lord of the Flies perfectly displays how important emotions are in our society. Golding was demonstrating that emotions will take a larger role in our decisions than we would like them to. He encapsulates the influence of emotions, and their ability to capture us regardless of how hard we try to rid ourselves of them. Golding uses Jack as an avenue to express this.