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Essay / The corruption of humanity and savagery in Lord of The Flies
There are many things that can bring out the beast in all of us. Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, is a novel about how a group of schoolchildren survive on a desert island, stranded without adults after their plane crashes. In Lord of the Flies, throughout the novel, William Golding teaches us that in terrible situations, the majority of civilization will open itself to the evil and savagery that has always existed within us. This change manifests itself not only in the boys but also in the island itself. Throughout the development of the story, you see how once innocent and civilized boys become cruel and savage. The island that was once a place of beauty and peace, just like the boys, becomes a corrupt and scary place. One of the most cruel and savage men in history, Adolf Hitler, responsible for the deaths of millions during the Holocaust, in many ways resembles the boy's savagery. Just like the boys and Hitler, the Khmer Rouge regime was also very cruel, causing many deaths during the Cambodian genocide. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The boys are the main representation of corruption in the novel. The darkness and evil within you does not simply take over, you must abandon all light and give in to be taken over. In chapter eight of the novel, Jack decides that he has had enough of Ralph being the leader and leaves to start his own tribe. Ralph and the few boys who hadn't yet been corrupted were the only ones left at their site. All the other boys, the wild ones, accompanied Jack to his new tribe. At first, Ralph would have been happy to follow Jack and have fun all day. They elected Ralph as their leader and that is how he became their leader. As a leader, he had to mature and make good decisions for everyone. The others, they chose to have fun and so they went with Jack and they made this choice to let the darkness in. They decided that Jack's way was the one they preferred, no matter how dark it was. On the first night leading a tribe, Jack has Simon killed. This is the night when those who had not completely surrendered to the darkness were taken care of. They kicked, punched and, in the words of William Golding: “Immediately the crowd rushed after her, poured themselves onto the rock, jumped on the beast, screamed, struck, bit, tore. There were no words or movements other than the pulling of teeth and claws. Simon went there to tell them that the beast was not a thing, but that it was them, their darkness. But the beast came out and took possession of the little light these boys had left and killed the only one who knew the truth. Ralph, the novel's protagonist, is one of the only boys left alive who remains civilized despite the cruelty of others. In Chapter 12, Ralph is the only one not part of Jack's tribe of corrupt savages. Everyone had joined willingly, had been forced, or, in the case of Simon and Piggy, had been killed. Since Ralph didn't want to join Jack, he knew he would “never leave him alone; never." It was Samneric who had said to Ralph, "'They hate you, Ralph. They're going to do you. "They're going to drive you out tomorrow." is hidden in some bushes near their tribe. The savages started hunting him and they didn't stop. They destroyed the bush he was hiding in, chased him down and even set fire to the forest..