Lord of the Flies

Golding takes the Enlightenment-era fallacy that “human nature is inherently good” and tears it apart on that deserted island. The children’s characters’ transition from innocence to savagery proves how the dark essence within humanity spreads its poison in the absence of authority. It’s an unparalleled laboratory for team leadership, as it shows how the absence of leadership, fear, and manipulation can turn a group into a tribe and drag it toward fascism. The author’s stance is pessimistic and ruthless. It whispers this to us: the evil within us does not come from outside; it nestles deep within our very souls. When authority collapses, if you lack the morality to resist the beast within, you, too, are one of those dancing around that tribal fire.