Lord of the Flies Analysis

Lord of the Flies is a novel with an infinite amount of insight on human nature in and of itself. The critical essay written by K. M. Parivelan addresses four key points to human nature, and how they triumph and fail throughout the novel: Will, Passion, Reason, and Conscious. The four main characters of the novel—Ralph, Jack, Piggy and Simon, symbolize these. (Parivelan, K. M. ¶ II)

Ralph, the personification of Will, is the elected leader of the stranded boys. As the story progresses, he will be the champion for the idea of civilized behavior. This is shown in his insistence on keeping the fire lit; he always yearns to return to the civilized world. Even as the novel neared its end, Ralph still felt that “There was something good about a fire. Something overwhelmingly good”. (Golding, William pg. 163) Although he has a strong sense of morality, he is still innocent, and that will be his downfall. Ralph governs the boys according to innocent thought, but “eventually, Jack’s domination forces him to forego innocence” (Parivelan, K. M. ¶ VII). From there, Ralph takes part in the murder of Simon and so begins his loss of conscious or reason. Although Ralph doesn’t die, the role of Will in a primal society would not be triumphant.

Jack embodies Passion. He becomes a tyrant on the island, using the fear of the boys to manipulate them into doing his will. Jack is ruled by his emotions and his reactions. He has a “passion for power” (Parivelan, K. M. ¶ IX); this is shown in Chapter 4 of Lord of the Flies as “His [Jack’s] mind was crowded with memories; memories of the knowledge that had come to them when they closed in on the struggling pig, knowledge that they had outwitted a living thing, imposed their will upon it, taken away its life like a long satisfying drink.” (Golding, William Chapter 4: Painted Faces and Long Hair) Although Jack’s human embodiment of Passion isn’t pleasant, Passion as a part of human nature is the victorious element in the microcosmic...