Lord of the Flies literacy criticism
Throughout history many questions about evil in humanity have risen. Some of these questions deal with why people are able to get away with doing wrong, how laws effect peoples behavior, and without laws, would people be inherently evil. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, a group of young boys are plane wrecked on a un habituated tropical island. On this island, there are no adults to look after the children so they can act how they please. Literary critic Kathleen Woodward explains in her essay, Law and Order Can Control Humanity’s Evil Nature, how the children are “ liberated from the constraints of their own culture”(Woodward10) and able to create their own set of rules and live as they please. Without enforced Law and order, societies will fail, and humanities inherently evil instinct will prevail. When the children in Lord of the Flies first inhabit the island, all was well. When Piggy and Ralph gather up everyone on the island, a few basic rules are created along with a democratic society. During a meeting, Ralph is elected leader of the group and the conch serves to keep order during future group meetings. However, this democratic society did not last long due to the lack of Law enforcement and the quickly diminishing façade of socially accepted norms. This façade hides the evil that “exists from the beginning, inherent not in the island but in the man”(Woodward 3). Even though some members of the island believe they must “have rules and obey them”(Golding 44) because it was obvious that “the world, that understandable and lawful world, was slipping away”(Golding 100) as every day passed, most did not think like this. As time continues to pass, it becomes evident that the social norms are fading and the inherently evil characteristics of the children are beginning to show. As every day passes it becomes easier for the children to let their true self show without fear of repercussions. Due to the absence of law and order on the