Lord of the Flies Group

Question:

jess12311993
jess12311993
Student
High School - 9th Grade

Explain what Golding means by "mankind's essential illness" and how does he develops this idea through Jack in the novel?

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Posted by jess12311993 on Monday April 28, 2008 at 3:42 PM and tagged with jack, lord of the flies, mankinds essential illness, style.

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  1. gbeatty Teacher
    College - Freshman

    Simon has trouble expressing "man's essential illness" in Chapter 5, when they are discussing the beast and what it is. He has trouble addressing this, or putting it into words, because it complex and because it is threatening. He's trying to say that maybe there aren't any outside monsters on the island (in the world?), and that maybe humanity is the real monster. This is Golding's way of saying that all the darkness and evil in the world comes from the depths of the human heart. Jack is one example of this, with his questing for power and his embrace of savagery, but he's hardly the only example. Just about all the boys fall into this, except maybe Piggy.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/flies/character-analysis

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    Posted by gbeatty on Monday April 28, 2008 at 5:52 PM