Human Nature In Lord Of The Flies By William Golding And...

Looking back through the history of humankind, there is an eminent pattern of primitive and truculent behaviour. William Golding and Joseph Conrad recognised this basic nature of humanity and portrayed it in their novels, Lord of the Flies and Heart of Darkness. The environmental and circumstantial influence on one’s human nature is thought to have the greatest impact, as the isolation from civilisation manumits the evil inside. Human nature, according to the Oxford Dictionary, is â€Å"the general psychological characteristics, feelings, and behavioural traits of humankind, regarded as shared by all humans.† These novels exemplify the concept of this behaviour to show how the savage nature of a person is brought to light by the influence of†¦show more content†¦For the boys, the loss of clothing is seen as an adaptation to their environment, however, the placing of this transition at the beginning of the hunting, suggests the beginning of the savagery. Through this, we are reminded of humanity’s capacity for evil and how man-made moral systems are superficial. Piggy, is represented as the voice of reason, when he cleans his glasses it means that his line of logic and nature blur. His loss of sight, after having his glasses stolen represents the fall of reason. The change in Piggy’s attitude, due to the loss of sight, represents the shift of power from the reign of reason to the reign of savagery. It is the boys’ descent from civilisation into savagery that highlights that it is the eyes of civilization that keeps humanity’s darkness in check, but when we are surrounded by the silent whisper of the wilderness, we lose ourselves to the darkness. Joseph Conrad, in Heart of Darkness, explores the concept that all behaviour and choices and the need and desire of the individual lie at the very core of their human nature. Civilisation is a construct that is designed to serve as a means of control of this core. Marlow, whose thoughts and attitudes shape the readers perception of the story, has a revelationShow MoreRelatedComparing The Novel Lord Of The Flies And Heart Of Darkness2292 Words   |  10 PagesTopic: Comparing behavior of two main characters from two different books Introduction There are both similarities and differences between the protagonists of the Novels Lord of the Flies† (Golding) and â€Å"Heart of Darkness† (Conrad). In each case we have the supposedly civilized individual(s) degenerating into savagery. As well, other characters are involved and highly influenced by the protagonist(s). This report discusses these two books and what can be observed from comparing works of essentiallyRead MoreA Comparison of Lord of the Flies by William Golding to Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad1602 Words   |  7 PagesComparison of Lord of the Flies by William Golding to Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad Works Cited Missing I compared the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding to Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. The novelsRead MoreComparing The Novels Lord Of The Flies And Heart Of Darkness4107 Words   |  17 PagesThere are both similarities and differences between the protagonists of the Novels Lord of the Flies† (Golding) and â€Å"Heart of Darkness† (Conrad). In each case we have the supposedly civilized individual(s) degenerating into savagery. As well, other characters are involved and highly influenced by the protagonist(s). 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He also wrote social and political satires criticizing the middle class life of England. A good example is Tono-Bunhichaywhich attacks commercial advertsing. * JOSEPH CONRAD He wrote remarkable novels as the Nigger of the Narcissus and Lord Jim where he depicts characters beset by obsessions