Human Nature in Lord of the Flies and Treasure Island Essay

Compare and Contrast Essay

Both Lord of the Flies and Treasure Island have similar and dissimilar themes about human nature. They have comparative themes about anarchy, human desire, and evilness, and contrasting themes about adult authority, maturity, and supernatural figures. Both novels support that savagery is brought by disorder, greediness can cause destruction, and innate evil is within every human being. However, both novels also have opposing themes about the influences of adults, how boys become mature, and views about beasts.

One similar theme portrayed by both novels is that savagery and violence is a result of anarchy. In Lord of the Flies, most of the boys slowly turned from being civilized to being savages. Without rules and order, Jacks group started practicing rituals which led the boys to harming each other. They began to dance around the bonfire and role play a hunt, pretending that some of the boys were the prey, not realizing that they were hurting or killing them. Likewise, the pirates in Treasure Island adopted a violent behavior. After sailing for so many years on different journeys in a ship full of courageous men a ship without much regulation they learned how to be rough and harsh. They were not hesitant to kill their new and innocent shipmates just for the sake of seeking the treasure.

Both novels also represent the theme that every human being has the destructive tendency to be greedy. Jack, in Lord of the Flies, portrayed the human need to satisfy desires. He was the leader of the school choir, so he longed for power and total control of the boys on the island. His desire to be the leader, however, caused him to break off from Ralphs group, marking the end of innocence and the start of evil. Similarly, in Treasure Island, all the crew members of the ship yearned to get hold of the treasure, their desire. Since they all wanted the treasure, the pirates broke apart into two groups, planning a way to steal the treasure from the other group. Tension then rose between the two groups and they began to fight. Both novels show that greed can cause violence and the loss of lives.

The last comparative theme between the novels is that innate evil exists within every human being. Ralph, who represents civilization in Lord of the Flies, showed flaws in his character. At the beginning, he promised Piggy not to tell the rest of the group his nickname, and yet he still did, adding to the boys negative outlook on Piggy. Ralph was also part of Jacks feast the night they killed Simon. Though he didnt personally kill Simon, Ralph was still part of the group who murdered him. Similarly, Jim Hawkins, a young and innocent boy in Treasure Island, showed imperfection. When he climbed the ship, after setting it adrift, he met a drunken pirate sitting by the dead body of another; the drunken pirate had killed his mate while they were guarding the ship. When Jim realized that the pirate wanted to kill him, he instantly pulled his pistols, showing that he had the intention of killing another person.

One difference between the two novels is the presence of adults. The absence of adult authority in Lord of the Flies is one big reason why the boys became violent; there were no adults to set a firm system of rules and create civilization on the island with the boys. They turned so brutal that killing each other became second nature for them. They were even hunting down Ralph at the end; if the naval officer did not come to rescue them, Ralph would have been killed. So, it was an adult who saved the lives of the remaining boys. In Treasure Island, however, there was only one young boy on-board the ship; the rest were adults. Though they were adults, there were still lives lost on the island. Even the more civilized crew members who got hold of the treasure left the pirates on the island with little hope of being rescued. So, its not always true that adult authority brings peace and order.

Another theme that contrasts the two novels is about maturing. Ralph matured through his experience on the island even though there were no male adults for him to look up to as role models. He also realized that he had appreciated Piggys company, and that he was actually important to the group. He realized, through his own experience, that there is an evil side within everyones heart. Jim Hawkins, however, needed the presence of a male adult to reach maturity a number of role models, actually. One was Dr. Livesey, whom Jim thought, upon finding the treasure map, as the perfect person to handle the situation. Another role-model to Jim was Trelawney, whom the crew addressed as a squire. John Silver, though, influenced Jims character and progress the most. Jim was inspired by Silver, and developed courage and independence. He showed his bravery when he alone sneaked onto the ship and killed one of the pirates, after which he claimed himself the new captain. Therefore, not every boy needs an adult or a role model to become mature; they can find their own way to become an adult.

The last contrasting theme between the novels is about the paranormal figure. In Lord of the Flies, the boys believed that there was a beast on the island; this is unquestionable because they are still little kids. Some of the boys also thought that the dead parachutist was the beast, as we tend to believe what we see. In Treasure Island, the pirates also thought that the spirit of a dead pirate, Flint, was lingering around the island when they heard someone singing a pirate song the dead pirate frequently used to sing. Flint was a pirate they had feared when he was alive, and still feared although he was dead. One pirate even took out his Bible and started praying, an action unexpected of a pirate. This is ironic because pirates are commonly thought of as brave men who are afraid of nothing. So, its not always true that adults are mature enough to think that there are no spirits or beasts.

Lord of the Flies and Treasure Island have both similar and contradicting themes. Both novels portray that the loss of innocence is the result of anarchy, that all human beings are greedy, and that evil is within everybody. However, both novels promote contradicting view on whether adults are needed to create order, whether a child needs an adult or a model to become mature, and whether adults are old enough to understand that there are no beasts.

Works Cited

Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. Great Britain: Faber and Faber Ltd, 1954.

Phillips, Brian and Henriksen, John. "SparkNote on Treasure Island." 28 Nov 2008 .

Stevenson, Robert Louis. Treasure Island. New York: Scholastic Inc., 1883.