Innocence In Lord Of The Flies

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Children are faced with various situations in their everyday lives. Sometimes, these situations force children to grow up at a young age. In many cases, this loss of innocence can be found in literary works. Throughout Lord of the Flies, the idea of the loss of innocence is apparent in the actions of Jack, Simon, and Ralph. Jack, Simon, and Ralph display characteristics of losing their innocence. To begin, Jack, who is leader of the choir, begins hunting after the boys are stranded on the island. Realizing that the boys are in need of a substantial food source, Jack focuses on hunting and discovers that there are pigs on the island. The discovery of pigs eventually causes Jack to become obsessed with killing the animals. After numerous successful hunts, Jack is preoccupied with the thrill of…show more content…
The transformation from a young choir boy to a savage marks the end of his innocence. In addition to Jack, Simon also loses his innocence. Simon is kind and caring toward the younger children on the island, and he also enjoys nature. One day, he goes into the woods to admire his beautiful surroundings. While in the jungle, he finds a pig's head that is staked on a stick and in the ground and covered with flies. As Simon stares at the Lord of the Flies, it seems to come to life and talk to him. After listening to the beast, Simon realizes that there is no beast on the island, but that the beast is really in each of the boys as part of their human nature. The realization about humanity is the end of Simon's innocence. Lastly, Ralph is forced to grow up at a relatively young age. Once the boys are brought together in a meeting, Ralph is elected chief. He takes responsibility and steps up as the leader of those on the island. One thing he does while chief is direct the building of shelters. He knows that the boys need a place for protection and coverage, so he orders the
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