Good vs. Evil

Paper Summary:

This paper begins with a description of the book's questioning of the innate goodness of mankind. The ways in which the author demonstrates the split between good and evil, this dual nature of humanity, is explored through an examination of the story, setting and characters in the book.

From the Paper:

"In his novel Lord of the Flies, William Golding forces us to question whether people are innately good, or whether what we call civilized behavior is only forced out of us as long as society demands it. In his vision as reflected by the novel, most of us need the constraint of society's rules to remain civilized and not descend into an uglier form of life where cruelty and abuse of power are easily rationalized or even celebrated. He suggests that instinctively we may be barbaric, not good or kind.
He demonstrates this split between good and evil in several ways. He sets the novel during a period of great warfare, with Great Britain threatened by atomic bombs. The boys are being airlifted away from the danger when they crash land on the desert island. On this island, he uses the existence of beauty and ugliness together several times. Then there is the struggle between civilization and barbarism evident in the power struggle between Ralph and Jake."

More papers on Good vs. Evil:

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• Book Review # 87841 : "Good vs. Evil"

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