Maybe There Is A Beast...Maybe It's Only Us

Welcome back, readers!

Now that I've finished the books my sister lent me and Rachel's newly published book, I'm back to making my way through the books on my bookshelf. Up next was a familiar story, although I've only read this book once before. But, it's a story that's hard to forget, especially because of the poignant shift from humanity that it depicts. I'm talking about none other than Lord of the Flies by William Golding.

Even though I'd only read this book once before (and it was many, many years ago), I remembered that it was a haunting story of survival. If you haven't read this book, here's a quick summary: a group of young English boys get stranded on an island after their plane crashes. They build a fire to use for a signal, and they establish a sort of community. Everyone has responsibilities to carry out daily, such as tending to the fire, catching or gathering food, and building shelters. But, as most young boys, their interest in these things doesn't last long. Plus, some of the boys are very young and can't contribute much. The fire and shelters become neglected by most, although some still try to maintain order. Eventually, two boys fight for authority and end up creating two separate groups. One still focuses on getting a signal out to be found, and the other, led by the main hunter, becomes obsessed with hunting the pigs on the island and living a life of no responsibility. But it doesn't take long for the hunting instinct to take over to the point where two boys are killed and another hunted up to the point when they all get rescued.

While reading Lord of the Flies, it's hard not to think about the animal instinct within all of us - especially since that's the focus of the story. Not only does it depict that humans do have an animal instinct of hunting and killing, but it focuses on how quickly one can turn from being a civilized, rational human to more of an animal.

Given the right circumstances, our suppressed animal instincts can take over. In the case of this story (and I'd guess in most real-life cases), the animal instinct kicks in as a mod of survival, when one is placed in a life-or-death situation. In Lord of the Flies, the boys (I'm not going to use names and give away who does what) are constantly in survival mode. While many of them don't seem to care that they're stranded, I imagine all of them are feeling some sort of survival instinct as they search for food in the forest, sleep on leaves, and wear the same ragged clothes for weeks.

For most of the kids, they can stay rational throughout the entire ordeal. However, for one kid in particular, the inner animal instinct comes out fast and takes over. This kid is the designated leader of the hunters. I believe that his animal instinct starts to take over the moment he goes out to hunt a pig. The adrenaline of sneaking through the forest, stalking his prey, and ambushing it becomes insatiable. And soon enough, anything becomes prey -- including the other boys, and particularly the boys he doesn't like.

At first, it's clear that the kid gets a thrill out of hunting, but he still remains a human. But as time goes on, you can start to see the animal come out a little more and more as he begins thinking of ways to improve his hunting, such as camouflaging himself with mud and paint. Then all at once, it seems, he snaps. He gives in completely to the animal inside. He now enjoys being in control and the idea of the hunt, of stalking something - or someone - that is unaware of where he is or what he is about to do. And suddenly, that boy is now a monster.

The other side of the spectrum:
Lord of the Flies is a clear depiction of the hunting truth that it's easier than we think to submit to the animal within us. However, I think there's another lesson here, too. When reading this book, most people focus on how we can turn animal, but I think it's important to recognize that we can also stay human in the same situations. The Lord of the Flies depicts a handful of kids who lose all sense of reality and humanity, but there are still those who don't. Not everyone becomes a barbarian. Not everyone loses sight of reality.

People can be in the same circumstance and react differently. Some will succumb to animal instincts while others don't. With that said, I think it's clear that it's not the situation that causes us to change; it's our response to it. Are we willing to let go of reality, humanity, civilization, and rationality? Are we willing to give in to our animal instincts? I think some will be more willing than others, just like in Lord of the Flies, but I think there are those who will fight to stay sane and fight to stay human.

But hopefully we never have to face a situation where we have to find out which we are more willing to succumb to.