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November 2002

Lessons in Humanity from Lord of the Flies

How often is it that the very idea of humanity is examined so carefully and accurately that people oppose it. In Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses a group of mostly innocent young boys to portray his ideas about human nature. It is in this depiction of humanity that critics of the book attack it, stating that this book shows humans as ruthless savages who want to hunt and kill rather than be civilized people. Ironically, this is the reason this book should be read, because it teaches how fragile civilization is and how much care is necessary to sustain it.

Lord of the Flies is about a group of kids, age ranging from six to twelve, who are stranded on a tropical island after a plane crash. Together they try to form their own world upon the island while trying to get rescued at the same time. The book chronicles their tale as the civilization they built slowly decays until the point where only one boy remains who wants to return to the modern world. This story has a very negative attitude toward human nature, and depicts it as unstable and frail. Using the children as an example of this is perfect, because of the common assumption that children are usually innocent and will do what is best overall for their survival.

One of the largest arguments that a critic could bring up about Lord of the Flies is that is shows humans being extremely bloodthirsty. In one scene a few kids called “the hunters” kill a wild pig and as they carry the carcass they chant rhythmically the words, “Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Spill her blood” (Golding 62). This is the first time this chant is used, but throughout the story it resurges, especially at points where the boys feel especially feral. Every person has a bloodlust seeded deep inside him, but it is a side of the human persona that few relish. However, it is still a part of being human and is one aspect of humanity that must be carefully regulated and controlled.

Going along with the bloodlust that the boys give in to at many points throughout the story, there are many scenes that have very macabre descriptions. Considering that this book is often read as part of a sixth grade curriculum, opponents feel that this is too much for younger children. For instance, towards the end of the book the tribe splits into two groups, one wild, and one trying to be civilized. At one point the tensions rise to high and the wild tribe rolls a giant boulder into the others, hitting one. “Piggy fell forty feet and landed on his back across the square red rock in the sea. His head opened and stuff came out and turned red. Piggy’s arms and legs twitched a bit, like a pig’s after it has been killed” (Golding 164-65). The simple description of Piggy’s death from a childish standpoint further accentuates the horrible circumstances of the situation.

The grisly scenes in the story do not just consist of those that contain murder of the body, but some that show destruction of the mind. The Lord of the Flies is an impaled, rotting, pig’s head put out as a sacrifice for the “beast” of the island. One of the other boys, not one of the “hunters”, stumbles across this totem and it speaks to him of their true troubles. “‘Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill!’ said the head… ‘You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of you? Close, close, close! I’m the reason it’s no go? Why things are what they are?’” (Golding 130). Obviously this boy is crazy watching the pig’s head talk to him, but it tells him openly that all the boys as well as himself are not hunting anything except the feral rage contained within their souls.

One thing that critics cannot attack is the way the story of Lord of the Flies is told, and the characters that are used to do so. By using children to illustrate humanities weaknesses it adds an air of innocence to the meaning. Of particular importance are the two main characters Ralph and Jack, who represent the opposite ends of the human spectrum. Ralph is the story’s protagonist, and is one of the few boys who stays focused on returning to civilization throughout the book. In the beginning of the story he is elected chief of the tribe and commits all of his energy to keeping the signal fire going that would lead rescuers to their island. In the end, his stubborn resilience to become wild makes him an outcast from the rest of the boys.

Jack represents the savagery inherent in the human soul and shows it by giving in to his wildness almost immediately. He is the leader of the hunters, the primary dissident against the rule of Ralph, and the person who cares the least of being rescued. His personality represent everything negative about the human persona, including his lack of control which results in two deaths and the burning of the entire island. It is his example that causes the change in all of the other boys, and it is his personality that critics of Lord of the Flies oppose the most.

People cannot hide the fact that humanity has many negative aspects to it. The ability to be cruel, savage, wild, uncontrolled all rest within the realm of the human nature that makes up each and every person and is the reason why this book should be read. Hiding this fact only hurts the ascension of the other traits of humanity, the positive ones. Young people should have the opportunity to read this book and imagine the results if they lose the control necessary to maintain civilization and repel the wild ferocity. Without these hidden traits, people would be nothing more than mindless automatons, for it is these aspects that give us our emotion and color.