Phew, I’m starting on a strong topic aren't I. So a few days ago, my literature teacher brought up this question. It was along this line… “Are humans naturally evil or is it taught?” It was a question we were to keep in mind throughout the analysis of Lord of The Flies by William Golding-which is the text for our year. I'll refer to Lord of The Flies as LOTF from now on.

LOTF is a book with dark, gruesome themes. Golding wrote this book after World War II, which he participated in. It centres around three boys Jack,Ralph and Piggy. However, in the subsequent chapters, the characteristics of a number of the boys are elaborated on. These boys are stranded on an uninhabited island due to what we assume a nuclear war(not specified but the presence of an atomic bomb is mentioned) In the last literature lesson, we were introduced Roger. He is first prominent when he threw stones at the younger boys,namely Henry. As we discussed, there was something oddly sadistic and sinister about Roger. What irked me was the fact that Golding had written about how Roger did not throw stones AT Henry but AROUND him.The short description depicted that Roger did so because he was socially conditioned and brought up with the taboo of hurting people. The mindset that he would get punished by authority(teachers,parents,police) if he actually hurt the little boy. (Mind me, I feel like this would help you guys understand my thought process when I actually express my views on the question)

This brings me to my opinions in that particular question. I believe everyone has a little evil in them. Deep down inside. It is just a matter of if we let the evil part of us be known to the world. Think of when you felt spiteful of(?) someone or when you think of doing evil things to a certain person. Though we do not carry it out, the evil thought is very much present and capable of sending us out of control. At the same time, it can also be learned. I will quote LOTF, “Roger’s arm was conditioned by a civilisation knew nothing of him and was in ruins”

We had a rather in depth discussion on this quote. I will try to convey as much as I remember of the discussion as accurately as possible. So “civilisation” referred to everyone involved in the war back in their country. Golding described it as one who “knew nothing of him” meaning very simply that everyone(possibly) was dead and no one knew where the boys were nor was anyone looking for them. “In ruins” was the part our teacher helped us interpret. It could mean literally in ruins,like everyone was dead. Or a far deeper, creepy idea as if to say;(Quoted from the discussion,but not word for word) “hey look, you think kids are violent but look what you're doing now.”

This is where I start to wonder if evil is more likely to be taught than inborn. Adults often stereotype kids as unthinking individuals who are violent. Especially boys. Hence, “let boys be boys”. Let's slow down now and look at what's happening in the world. People are getting influenced by evil ideas. Ideas of exerting dominance through force and mass murder. The recent mass killings are plentiful. We see a general pattern. It is due to strong beliefs do these people do what they did. Where do they get these beliefs from? Ideologies that stem from religion, culture or conspiracies , frankly anything under the sun can spark an evil streak. All the wars that occur time and again. Haven't we learnt from history? Well all I can interpret from this is that we end up learning the bad things. The French Revolution , the Nazis , World War II in general. We see traces of these in terror attacks and such. All I've said might not make sense, so I'll try to sort out my thoughts.

Putting it simply, domestic violence, simply being brought up around alcoholics. You either follow the path or turn for the better. A to-go angst storyline often seen in fanfics. So we should be rather familiar with this analogy. In reality, most follow the same horrid path. This is a society thing. Everyone is generalised and looked down on. Like how a broken child is often neglected or abused. Like good habits,we can learn bad habits, so naturally evil can be learnt as well. At the same time, we can be born with talent we are unaware of until something sparks this talent to shine. Now replace it with evil. Same thing right?

In conclusion,I personally feel that there is no definite answer to the question. Evil can come from a series of events that trigger it. However, please take these opinions as a pinch of salt as these are very biased opinions. Hope you enjoyed reading!

LOTF is a well known literature book that opens your eyes to the ugly side of humanity. When I analyse it I can't help but despise my own kind. Being so dark and disgustingly brutal. It's a side not usually discussed over a coffee on a casual Sunday. Reading this book has made me see how sickening humans can be with no rules and authority, it's something everyone avoids admitting. About how barbaric we'd become without order in this world.