Lord of the Flies: The Beastie Essay

From the start of the novel, we ar made to believe that thither is a beast on the island that the boys atomic number 18 situated on. The boys gradu everyy generate more than and more afraid of the Beastie as the novel unravels however there is no physical evidence to prove that a beast does in fact exist. But however, there are events which lead up throughout the novel, which would lead you on to believe that there is a beast from the boys point of view, but we as the readers are told things that the boys are non, and therefore we know that there is no beast, only a beast that exists in themselves, which lets more sinister and evil as we progress.In chapter whizz, we discover that the boys are stranded on an island by themselves with no adults. Although this seems good at the precise start, as there is no authority, so they can do what they want, it later arrives a reason to fear as with no adults, theres no protection they are vulnerable to the outside world. There is no o ne to keep them safe at night, no one to fend for them or provide food, and to excite matters worse, they cant be rescued if no one knows theyre there, which is soon realised No body dont know were here. So with no protection and no means of rescue, fear slowly starts to develop and spread among the boys We may stay here until we die. They soon realise that a structured society is needed for them to survive.A reason to be scared provides more reason to fear things, as we find out in chapter two. A rumour of a beast, which is described as a snake, is started by one of the bittie uns the one with the birthmark. One of the older boys states what the boy with the birthmark describes as he lacks confidence in front of early(a) people A snake thing ever so big, he saw it. This rumour strikes fear into the boys, and spreads like a rumour to. An idea surfaces from one of the wiser and older boys. He must urinate had a nightmare, stumbling among all those creepers. This shows that c reepers here are something to scare people a symbol of fear. This is because to the younger ones, creepers look quasi(prenominal) to snakes (or beasties), and although to the older boys they might not look like something to fear, they are still a little afraid as the fear spreads around the little uns and up towards the big uns.As the fear of the beast begins to take hold of the boys, they come up a need for shelters to protect them. However the older boys believe that the shelters will make the little uns feel safer, but really they are nevertheless creating a self illusion, as they need the shelter as much as the little uns, but are scared to admit it. A shelter in their eyes is a home, and a home symbolises security, protection a place to feel safe, so without a shelter, or a home, the boys are exposed to the elements and the beast.With the shelters built, the boys feel a little bit more secure, and Jack, in his own way, reassures the group with his rescue about how stupid e veryone is by being afraid of something that doesnt exist. However he says that if a beast did exist, he would have hunted it vote down and killed it by now, which sounds like Jack is not afraid to the differents, but he must have some kind of doubt in his mind if hes thinking about it being there.The boys dont see through Jacks illusion and take the reassurance. However just when the boys are feeling split about the beast, the little un called Percival speaks up about his experience. He says that the beast doesnt live on the island, it lives in the sea which quickly squashes any assurance they just gained. The idea of a beast that could be anywhere around them, as after all they are trapped on an island, gives more fear not knowing where it is, when it could strike. They are the prey, open and vulnerable, and the beastie is the predator, hidden and invisible.At least before, they had a rough idea where it was, but now they will have to watch their rearwards more than ever if the rumour is correct. The fear spreads even more and a sense of paranoia grips the boys. However Simon, who is viewed by us, the reader, to be the helper or Christ-like character, expresses a very deep point of view. He talks about how there is no beast, not physically any way. The beast is a figment of the boys imagination as after all thats what they are boys, who typically have vibrant imaginations. He believes that because there is no adults, no authority who usually do the protecting, and that their all alone, they have come up with this paranoid delusion which we know to be the beast. Simon, being one of the most mature on the island, in my opinion seems to be the closest to really understanding what the beast actually is.In chapter six, we the reader, are told about a parachutist who was shot down we presume. We are told that he parachutes down to the island and is dragged around, giving the impression of a puppet to the wind, limp and lifeless in other words dead. Howeve r we know about the parachutist, but the boys on the other hand dont. So when Sam n Eric are looking after the fire and the spot the parachute flopping up and down as if it was a living being, the two boys instantly believe its the beast. The boys didnt have a reason to fear the beast, until they thought they saw something which they believed to be the beast. They jumped to a stopping point straight away, because of the rumours of the beast. And when the boys got back, they told the other boys, and once again the fear spreads around.However the beast was sighted near the fire, which means that the boys have no means of rescue without fire, unless they sojourn their fears. The boys, under the leadership of Jack, go up to the fire to confront the beast with weapons. They begin to fight fire with fire, and themselves gradually become a beast on their own. If another person, inexplicable to they boys was to accidentally stumble into their camp, the boys would surely mistake him/her for the beast and kill them. The boys have become ruthless in order to survive, and have become savages. Ironically Jack himself said We dont want to become savages, yet he is a key reason as to why the boys have become the evil savages that they are now.In chapter eight, Jacks hunters leave a gift for the beast, in hope that it will acknowledge them and leave them alone. However they are contradicting themselves, as they said that they did not believe in the beast. This shows that they have become more afraid of the beast as time has passed. Yet as the hunters become more aware and afraid of the beast, Simon on the other hand becomes less afraid. He already believed that there was no beast, but his fit showed him more clearly that there was nothing to be afraid of. He realises that a pigs head on a stick is nothing to be fright of.Jacks group eventually split from Ralph and the others, and ultimately split from civilisation to. The conch represented civilisation, and without it, the boys become savages. The beast that they once feared has grown inside of them, and now they are the beast of the island. The novel refers to them as savages, indicating that they themselves have become what they feared the most monsters. Living in fear of the beast has made them more ferocious and brutal towards unknown beings. They become more like a tribe and start chanting Kill the beast Cut his throat Spill his blood they have become evil.