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Man, without the rules of civilized people, becomes a beast, a savage, an animal himself. The Lord of the Flies by William Golding describes young boys who are deserted on an island and how they gradually lose their innocence of the moral ethics society teaches us and became savages. William Golding believes that savagery lives in mankind, but needs the proper situation to come out and cause a transformation. He shows that the beast lies within each boy and represents the evil which dwells inside humanity.
In the beginning the boys were trying to organize an assembly which could keep things in order. The first plan was to keep smoke from a fire going so that they would be rescued. But without adult supervision, rules of obedience and order are easily broken which was greatly demonstrated, especially by Jack who let the fire go out and only thought about hunting and killing pigs:
"Look! We've killed a pig-we stole up on them-we got in a circle"
"The pig squealed"
"There was lashings of blood," said Jack, laughing and shuddering, "you should have seen it!" (Golding 67, 69)
Man's basic innate nature is aggressive. In Psychology Theories states that "Freud also stated that mankind's aggression helps him to survive, he says that man has an innate sense of survival and that aggression and dominance guarantees our survival." In Lord of the Flies, Jack was driven by his innate sense of survival and was able to dominate over the other children. This allowed Jack to become the master and controller of the others. "Another thing Freud said was the idea of Opposing Instincts which when comes to mind creates conflict. The first of the two opposing instincts is the Eros, which is the life instinct, which also ensures the organisms life." (Psychology Theories) This was portrayed by Ralph, Simon and Piggy. In order to be rescued they knew that they must keep a fire burning and that the smoke signals were their only chance of rescue. These boys weren't easily persuaded into the domination of Jack. They wanted rules and order and wanted to act like how adults would act if they were left in same situation. "Thanatos, which is the death instinct and this instinct, says that all organisms have a death wish towards themselves and I agree completely. This he says becomes our own." (Psychology Theories) In Lord of the Flies, Simon fulfills his unconscious "Thanatos" when he runs into Jack's hunting dance "crying out about a dead man on the hill" (Golding152) Instead
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