Defects of Human Nature in Lord of the Flies

The failings of society remain a constant throughout history, and Golding states that the theme of Lord of the Flies "is an attempt to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature" (qtd. in Epstein 204). The remote setting and isolated situation of Lord of the Flies allow for a focused examination of basic human tendencies. The characters of the novel exhibit fundamental flaws of human nature and are ultimately unable to transcend these flaws in order to create a peaceful, harmonious society on the island. Lord of the Flies isolates what is basic to humans by segreating the child characters from the grown-up world, and employing this devise permits Golding to symbolize effectively the failings of society at large. In his Notes on Lord of the Flies, E. L. Epstein explains that the novel manifests "a modern picture of the personality [which] inevitably includes [the] anarchic, amoral driving force the Freudians call the Id [as] the fundamental principle of the Natural Man" (205). Epstein notes that the function of this fo

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c murder is "in the defects of the species" (Baker 28). Ralph and Jack are typically considered antithetical: Ralph is rational and hopes to preserve an ordered society on the island; Jack is irrational and focuses his energies on hunting and killing. Bernard F. Dick argues that Ralph and Jack are not absolutely antithetical and that the forces they represent are better understand in terms of a moral polarity (7). Although Ralph struggles to maintain order on the island, he is also subject to the basic defects of human nature and succumbs to the pressure of fear and blood lust under certain circumstances (Hynes 16). Ralph is conscious of a tension within his being, but he does not fully understand it or have the ability to articulate it. He admits to Piggy that he sometimes doesn't care about the fire going out and wonders "'what 'ud become of us?'" if he "'got like the others'" (Golding 139). He doesn't understand "' what makes things break up like they do?'" (Golding 139). Hynes argues that Ralph "provides the most consistent point of view, because he most nearly speaks for us, rational, fallible humankind" (17). Ralph is "the man who accepts responsibility that he is not particulary fitted for because he sees th
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1698
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)