Lord of the Flies
Chapter Five: Beast from the Water
In this chapter we see the boys', especially the 'littuns' fear of "the beast" grow. Percival gives more details and claims that it "comes from the sea," making the ocean seem a bit more sinister.Some of the boys, particularly Jack and Roger, start becoming more aggressive. All of this makes Ralph consider giving up being chief, but Piggy and Simon convince him that if he did that, they would all be in danger, and civilization would definitely give in to savagery.
In the comments section below, tell me what you think Simon means when he says, "maybe [the beast] is only us"? Do you agree with him, and think the littuns are just imagining a beast?
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18 comments:
For my opinion as Simon experienced the days on the island, see the way the kids act (including the violent that Piggy experienced from Jack) and according to the fact that the kids are stuck on a desert island during war i agree with him.
During stress people imagine things, the fact that the kids didn't have a real food for long time can add more stress into the situation.
I agree with him,I think their mental has been changed so much,they feel insecure because they living unusual at an unihabited island for so long time.The beast must be a fear come from their mind, so far we know they still don’t have anything to prove the existence of the beast.
I agree with Simon. Savage is innate within the human spirit, killing each other is the history of human development.
I think Simon means the beast is themselves because his thoughts are scientific . He don't believe the beast is exist . I agreed with him. In the circumstances of the life at the island , darkness , nightmare , snake thing or beastie effected the littluns mind set . So negatively thoughts might gradually increased.
I support the way of Simon's thinking. He believe in science like Piggy. He doesn't believe the exist of the beast. Because he is the one of the three explorers of the island, he knows there is no beast anywhere. This helpful -because he feeds the littluns-, thoughtful -because he shares his meat with Piggy-, and vivid boy knows that the real danger comes from the human itself. The littluns, who are naive, innocent, and inexperienced about life, are scared more and more from the unknown darkness of the sea and the forest. They imagine the beast in their minds. Their fear gives more power to Jack, and to some other boys who are capable to be cruel. Jack uses this fear for his own authority over the boys.
I completely agree with Simon. When people are in stressful situation, they are worse than animals. This story show us that the kids are in terrible stress and their behavior, for example when they killed a pig and started yelled " Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Bash her in." proved this.
In my opinion, I agree with Simon. Because they are alone in an island and I think they can be scared about it and imagine things. I remembered that the littuns were sitting in front of the bonfire. They were discussing about ghost, beastie and they were talking about their fears.
I agree with Simon.Because he is the side of the science.True fear is in human heart.They have to overcome the fear in their heart,it means they should be the side civilization.
I believe Simon tries to say all of the children are changing; they are loosing their social nature and they are turning in savage creatures. In the Island, resources are limited, the fight for power is intense and stressful, mental stability and team work is worse every day. Simon is witness of how Jack mistreat Piggy and how rest of the other children; including him; have not showed any empathy by doing something to help a child who is in their group. Those children are loosing their human sensitivity to maintain them as a community.
It seems to me that Simon is right. We all have a dark side, especially they are just a group of school kids, they will be affected by the environment. After they lived on the uninhabited island for a long time, when they face the unknown situation, there are no grownups to tell them how to do. So that makes them fear, and fear inspires their dark side. Then some of the boys become "the beast".
At this moment, there is no evidence of any beast. It looks like it is only the fantasy of the 'littuns', encouraged by the fear to the darkness in the night.
Erika Hernandez
I think he says that because of the way he sees things happening and I totally agree with him because we all have a monster inside everything depends on the situation that a person is.
I think i agreed with Simon , when you stuck in one place for a while you see the same thing everyday and maybe the littuns starting to illusion and see something scary and having a nightmare , their imagination can affect their brain
I agree with Simon. In the poor life's conditions I think everyone experiences a strong felling of fear, especially children who were stayed along, and as a result of this is seeing of the imaginary that can not give a chance normal to think.
Simon is a philosopher in a context of the novel. It is unusual for his age - to be philosopher, however Golding needs a character, who will provide his own ideas. Of course, Simon is right and a reader is agree with him, because the boy told about a key idea of the novel. Before people appearing on the island, there was natural harmony. People are destroying natural order and spreading fear in friendly environment. Nature is loosing innocence with kids step by step and only Simon is able to see this crucial process, because Simon is representation of the author in the novel.
As for me, I agree with Simon, beast is the dark side of human nature. Everyone can become beast if they can’t control themselves, and do something bad to others. In this situation, kids in the isolated island and no adults, they will feel fears and do some crazy things to reduce their fearful. Therefore the beast is from the heart of their fearful.
In my opinion, every human have the dark side of nature. Every human can be a beast. In this situation, the boys are in isolated island without adults. They will be act different ways. Some of them with fear or savage like Jack.
Simon is right, because he saw how emerged all bully behaviors the old kids against to littluns and weakness like piggy, and how they are loosing gradually his life style civilsed. He is very thoughtful and reflexive to considered that "the beast is inside us" because on the island were't any evidence physic of the beast, only the mistreatment occurs between them. I don't want to cosidered that our inner beast became out in only extreme conditions of survive, because is a excuse, the our inner beast could be emerge in any situation that we can allow according to our desires, ambitious but many times these are suppressed by moral rules of our society... like Simon, we should be reflexive carefully about that.
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