The End of Innocence and the Darkness of Man's Heart
In "Lord of the Flies" the author, William Golding, proves his theory on the origin of evil in many ways, a main one being the changes in the character Jack. William Golding's theory states that civilization prevents corruption. Human nature is evil but with the conformity of moral values, supervision, and consequences good behavior can be developed. In his book England is involved in a nuclear war and must evacuate the people. A group of private school boys who are presumably evacuees are dropped from a plane just before it crashes onto an uninhibited tropical island.
The boys are called together by Ralph, who with Piggy had found a conch shell. As the other boys gather onto the platform another party of the boys, the choir, marches up. They are described as "something dark" or a "creature", one of the first signs of evil.
Lord of the Flies
English: Cottages, The Green, Marlborough William ...
Film poster for Lord of the Flies - Copyright 1990...All of the boys decide to elect a leader and the candidates turn out to be Ralph and Jack, head of the choir. When the boys choose Ralph, Jack becomes enraged and Ralph offers that the choir be the hunters. Jack is then seen as the head hunter and a primary destructive force.
Ralph, Jack, and another boy, Simon, head out to survey the land and assure that it is indeed an island. The boys have their first confrontation with a pig. Jack is unable to plunge his knife into living flesh and bear the sight of flowing blood because of the "taboo of the old life". He is ashamed and vows next time he will kill it as he drives his knife into a tree trunk. This is one of the first major signs of trouble...of the evil ahead.
Jack is later described...