The Beast Within
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- Category: English
- Date Submitted: 02/26/2012 11:52 AM
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The Beast Within
It has been said that the only thing that separates humans from animals is reason, and that beneath the mask of civilization, we are all beasts in the end. In Lord of the Flies, a novel by William Golding, this is illustrated incredibly well by a group of boys who are left marooned on an island on their own, without any adults. The main characters of the story are faced with the daunting task of not only surviving on their own on the island, but surviving each other as well. Their signal fire, Jack’s killing of the pig and the destruction of Piggy’s glasses, are symbols that reveal Golding’s theme that without the guidance of civilization, man is naught but a beast like any other.
The fire is a powerful symbol in Lord of the Flies and is a symbol of the thin line between man and beast. It is their only chance of rescue, and therefore a symbol representing the logic and reason of man—the use of a signal to increase their chance of rescue exponentially, which is shown when Ralph reprimands Jack for allowing the fire to go out; “‘There was a ship. Out there. You said you’d keep the fire going and you let it out!” (Golding 70). In not thinking things through and taking those on fire duty on the hunting trip, Jack causes the loss of their chance at being rescued. He chooses a small luxury such as meat over a possibility of rescue, therefore condemning the boys to a prolonged stay on the island. However, though it is a symbol of logic and reason, it is also a symbol of savagery and this is illustrated when Golding writes, “One patch touched a tree trunk and scrambled up like a bright squirrel. The smoke increased sifted, rolled outwards…” (Golding 44). It spreads like an epidemic, destroying everything it touches, just like how Jack’s savagery spreads and takes over the boys.
Aside from the fire, Jack’s transition from his initial inability to kill a pig to being able to do it without a second thought is also a symbol. In the...
It has been said that the only thing that separates humans from animals is reason, and that beneath the mask of civilization, we are all beasts in the end. In Lord of the Flies, a novel by William Golding, this is illustrated incredibly well by a group of boys who are left marooned on an island on their own, without any adults. The main characters of the story are faced with the daunting task of not only surviving on their own on the island, but surviving each other as well. Their signal fire, Jack’s killing of the pig and the destruction of Piggy’s glasses, are symbols that reveal Golding’s theme that without the guidance of civilization, man is naught but a beast like any other.
The fire is a powerful symbol in Lord of the Flies and is a symbol of the thin line between man and beast. It is their only chance of rescue, and therefore a symbol representing the logic and reason of man—the use of a signal to increase their chance of rescue exponentially, which is shown when Ralph reprimands Jack for allowing the fire to go out; “‘There was a ship. Out there. You said you’d keep the fire going and you let it out!” (Golding 70). In not thinking things through and taking those on fire duty on the hunting trip, Jack causes the loss of their chance at being rescued. He chooses a small luxury such as meat over a possibility of rescue, therefore condemning the boys to a prolonged stay on the island. However, though it is a symbol of logic and reason, it is also a symbol of savagery and this is illustrated when Golding writes, “One patch touched a tree trunk and scrambled up like a bright squirrel. The smoke increased sifted, rolled outwards…” (Golding 44). It spreads like an epidemic, destroying everything it touches, just like how Jack’s savagery spreads and takes over the boys.
Aside from the fire, Jack’s transition from his initial inability to kill a pig to being able to do it without a second thought is also a symbol. In the...