Good And Evil In William Golding's Lord Of The Flies

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Night and day; water and fire; yin and yang. For ages, humans have conformed to this innate state of balance between opposites. However, this reliance on strict perceptions of contrasting forces may not always be resolute, as is in the case of good and evil. There is often uncertainty over where one becomes the other and many question the existence of the two states altogether, believing that humans are either intrinsically good or evil. Philosophers and authors alike, such as Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, have pondered this question, yet it remains unanswered. Although William Golding and Kahlil Gibran address the existence of good and evil in humans in their respective works, Golding emphasizes the transition from good to evil in Lord of the Flies as both a physical and mental transformation, while Gibran asserts a positive view in “The Prophet”…show more content…
Due to the ignorance of the hunters, the unattended fire burns out and seemingly ruins the only chance of rescue the boys had–the first instance of conflict between Ralph and Jack. Ralph angrily reminds Jack, “‘I was chief, and you were going to do what I said. You talk. But you can’t even build huts–then you go off hunting and let out the fire–’” (Golding 71), indicating the clear disparities concerning their goals and morals. Ralph persists on the importance of the fire as the sole responsibility of the boys, while Jack focuses on hunting and his need for meat, a sign that he has lost sight of his priorities. Likewise, Jack reveals his discontent at Ralph’s use of power regarding the call for the night assembly, when he exclaims,“‘And you shut up!...Sitting there telling people what to do...Why should choosing you make any difference? Just giving orders that don’t make any sense–’” (Golding 91). Jack’s outburst not only exhibits his dissatisfaction with Ralph’s power, but it also reveals his envy of it. . Jack’s
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