Lord of the Flies. 'The end of innocence and the darkness of man's heart.' Do you agree that these are the central concerns of Golding's novel? Please justify your answer making close reference to the text. In his novel, Lord of the Flies, Golding raises the issue of 'the end of innocence and the darkness of man's heart' in his portrayal of certain characters. However, he contrasts such characters with those who possess the …showed first 75 words of 748 total…

…showed last 75 words of 748 total…man and the savage. He shows us that "the end of innocence and the darkness of man's heart" is not applicable to everyone in the novel, for example, Ralph, Piggy and Simon are good characters, who possess the human spirit, in that their humanity and decency survive under the most extreme conditions. By contrasting characters, such as Ralph and Jack, Golding raises themes of good versus evil, loss of innocence and the struggle for power.