Kelly Liang

4/29/2013
6
Ms. Leung
Literary Analysis Essay
The seven deadly sins actually reveal the darkest aspects of human nature. Wrath, greed,
sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony, are all on the opposing end of the spectrum of love,
generosity, hard work, modesty, chastity, contentment and moderation. All aspects of human
nature are depicted in Lord of the Flies. In Lord of the Flies, Golding postulates that the core of
the human condition is savage and animalistic, but due to its ability to create morality and
discern what is right and what is wrong, humanity attempts to civilize it by giving out rules. The
novel is set on a desolate island, where a bunch of schoolboys are marooned after a plane
accident. Without any adult on the island, the boys quickly go from civilized to savage.
In Lord of the Flies, civilization takes shape in the form of rules. Ralph attempts to create
rules and set up civilization so that the boys can survive. The first rule is a sort of democratic
forum for the boys to communicate: the conch. Whoever holds the conch has the right to speak.
When Piggy insists that he is holding the conch so he has the right to speak, Jack tells him that
the conch does not count on the top of the mountain. To calm them down, Ralph says, Weve
got to have special people to look after the fire. Any day there may be a ship out there Where
the conch is, thats a meeting. The same up here as down there (Golding 37-38).The rules seem
to not only change, but also evolve as the story progresses. Ralph emphasizes the importance of
keeping a fire burning and gives out other rules to keep the group of boys, which is the only
society on the island, in order. It is a leaders responsibility to make rules and to execute them in

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order to keep the society running well, and people are supposed to listen to the leader and obey
the rules. However, as time goes by, some of the boys start running wild and barely listen to
Ralph or follow the rules. Since they just want to do nothing but play and chill, they let their
instincts take over them. When Jack is bullying Piggy and Ralph, who tries to stop, tells him that
he is breaking the rules, but Jack does not care about the rules at all. Ralph says angrily,
Because the rules are the only thing weve got! (Golding 84). If the boys keep breaking the
rules, they will no longer be civilized since rules are the only thing to keep society in peace and
order; without rules, the whole world will be messed up and out of control. In human society,
there are different rules and punishments to keep society running in a civilized manner, and
people follow the rules so as not to lose their humanity.
Loss of civilization begins to take place as he boys cast rules aside and let their instincts
run loose. Jack becomes uncivilized from the moment he starts breaking rules and killing pigs.
After the boys pretend to kill Robert, who disguises himself as a pig, the boys discuss how to
make the game more fun. Or someone to pretend, said Jack. You could get someone to dress
up as a pig and then he could actyou know, pretend to knock me over and all that (Golding
106-107). As Jack kills more pigs, his desire to kill grows stronger, which cannot be satisfied
when a pig escapes. The boys, killing with Jack, whom they think will give them protection from
the beast, seek for survival because of the fear of the beast, which is part of human instincts.
Therefore, he and the boys try to quench this feeling by pretending to kill Robert. It is human
instinct to want to be freed from civilization and rules, so that they can do whatever they want,
which is why the boys stop following Ralphs rules and start having their childish fun. Besides
freedom from reason and laws, Jack yearns for power over the fearful boys. After Roger rolls the

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rock, killing Piggy, Jack claims himself as the chief. See? See? Thats what youll get! I meant
that! There isnt a tribe for you anymore! The conch is gone (Golding 167). In the novel, the
conch represents Ralphs power as a chief; once the conch is in pieces, Ralph will not have his
position among the boys anymore, which means that there will be no more rules to restrain the
boys. It is Jack who tells Roger to murder Piggy, which a civilized 12-year-old boy would never
do.
What makes Simon different from the savage gang is his humanity and isolation. While
other boys are fooling around and having childish fun, Ralph and Simon are fixing the inferior
shelters, so Ralph complains to Jack. All day Ive been working with Simon. No one else.
Theyre off bathing, or eating, or playing (Golding 45). Simon is the only one who listens to
Ralph and tries to finish building shelters before go off playing. The boys are too lazy to follow
Ralphs orders, so they want to just have fun instead of working. Playfulness is one of the big
differences between savagery and humanity. Another thing that makes Simon stand out from the
others is his ability to ponder. When kids are discussing what the beast is, Simon says it is
themselves, but others think he is crazy. Simon became inarticulate in his effort to express
mankinds essential illness Whats the dirtiest thing there is? (Golding 82). Whereas the
boys think the beast is come kind of a mysterious creature, Simon thinks it is a ghost of
themselves, a reflection of the beast within all men, deeply oppressed by social behavior and
rooted in human survival instincts. Nobody sees that but Simon. The boys lack the ability to
think reasonably, so they cannot find the key problem within themselves.
Humankind makes laws to create order and civilization and curtail barbaric acts,
precisely because it has the ability to wonder and create morality. Unlike other animal societies,

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human society runs well in order, and different leaders bring out different rules that address
different situations in a constantly changing society. If one breaks the rules, one suffers
consequences such as punishment, which aims at guaranteeing the observance of the rules and
acts as a reminder of right and wrong. Indeed, order and the ability to think are what make
human beings superior to the animals.