ESSAYEN

__Hope for Mankind__
 * By: EN**

Philosophers, authors, and everyday people have an opinion on the goodness of mankind and their temptation to evil, whether or not they know it. William Golding, the author of __Lord of the Flies__, has a pessimistic view on the nature of man, which is portrayed through his novel. However young they may be, the majority of this child characters portray the essence of evil and darkness. Nevertheless Golding is flawed. All mankind is not evil; in fact his book actually proves that mankind always has hope. In William Golding’s __Lord of the Flies,__ the good nature of humans is proven through characters’ resistance to darkness and the compassion showed for loved ones. Many of Golding’s characters yield traits that illustrate the good in them. Piggy, the self proclaimed “educated one,” represents reason and intelligence. These attributes allow him to join the island’s resistance against Jack’s tribe, showing his nature to resist evil. Simon, another member of the resistance, represents goodness, but he also represents the nameless victims in society who are haunted and killed by the dark forces in life. Considering the amount of boys on the island, Simon still proves to be the most honest and resistant to evil. When Simon is alone, he allows his mind to wander, “Simon is alone in the jungle and he comes in contacta with the pig’s head that was sacrificed. The head begins talking to him and Simon slowly realizes that he is going crazy. The real threatening monster is the boys themselves” (Golding 99). This passage shows that Simon analyzes what is happening to the people that are surrounding him. The evil in the boys is becoming clear to him, nevertheless he is avoiding it. Although the majority of the boys on the island give into the savage within, there are still a handful of people clinging to society and a moral code. These boys do not give in to the evil that is present in them on the island. This act of morality proves that the natural good nature of the islanders is present. Ralph’s “tribe of resistance”, although very few, still housed members. This too proves the morality in man. The resistance to evil is always there; sometimes it’s just harder to find. Every culture, tribe, civilization, utopia, or society has a form of family to share compassion with. Not every family necessarily loves and nurtures each other; however there is some emotion towards one’s family members. Siblings, mothers, daughters, fathers, and sons all have a unique relationship that is hard to replace with anything else. Love, compassion, and devotion are some emotions that reverse the effects of evil and darkness has on humans. Ralph is one of the few characters who feels compassion for another being on the island, and he proves this when Ralph reacts to Piggy’s death. Golding writes, “And in the middle of them, with filthy body, matted hair, and unwired nose, Ralph wept for…the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy” (202). Here Ralph shows that Piggy was his friend and will be missed. He is reversing evil’s effect of ending Piggy’s life by remembering him after he dies. Sam and Eric, the island’s twins, also care for each other very much. They are brothers and share their special bond. This is shown when Golding writes, “’we’ve seen the beast with our owns eyes. No- we weren’t asleep-‘Sam took up the story. By custom now one conch did for both twins, for their substantial unity was recognized” (100). Erick and Sam also joined the “moral” tribe. The pair of them believed in rescue and the safety for tribe members. They were able to uphold these things because they had each other to share it with; they had someone to love, with is stronger than all evils and wrong-doings. Perhaps if Jack, the evil character, had landed on the island with a family member, the book would have had a different outcome. The love and adoration that Jack could have shared would have made him a greatly different person. Compassion will always be in the minds and hearts of mad. If another is there to share that emotion then all darkness will be easier to resist. The support and emotion shown on the island proves the natural kindness of human nature. Golding, like every other human, has a right to an opinion or a view on life. Golding personally believes that mankind was doomed to evil. He was wrong in thinking that due to the characters in his own book. The resistance to savagery and the compassion shown by Ralph, Piggy, Simon, and Samneric shows that there is still hope for the future. If only the “tribe of resistance” had more people on their side, good would have triumphed over evil.