Summary:
Compares writers William Golding and Jean Jacques Rousseau's contradictory philosophies on the subject of man in his primitive state versus his behavior under the constraints which society places upon him.
"Nothing can be more gentle than [man] in his primitive state." "Everything is good as it comes from the hands of the author of nature." Through these quotes, Jean Jacques Rousseau, a nineteenth century French writer, expressed his philosophy that man is essentially good by nature; thus, civilization and society are needless, even detrimental. On the contrary, William Golding, author of Lord of the Flies, held the opposite philosophy that man is naturally sinful and needs the guidance of social order. From these contradictory philosophies, Golding's notion that humans naturally incline towards evil in the absence of society and civilization is clearly more realistic. Golding's Lord of the Flies is one example that demonstrates the more realism and accuracy present in Golding's philosophy than that of Rousseau.
In Lord of the Flies, Golding shows how society, the.....
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