Lord of the Flies
The Beast !!
What is the paradox of the boys attitude towards the beast ?
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sandy t #87849
Last updated by
coco s #17435
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Answered by
coco s #17435
The Beast is the evil within us all.
Ralph insists there isn't a "beast." He's wrong. Piggy also refuses to believe Simon's claim that the Beast is "only us."
Jack says that they can hunt and kill the Beast . . . yet he is the boy whose Beast is strongest from the start. Also, he says to leave a head for the Beast and to watch out for it, even though he says it's not out there. After the boys kill Simon, Jack insists that they didn't kill the Beast--is he in denial about the murder, or just keeping the boys afraid so that he can maintain his leadership?
The paradox is that the boys believe the Beast is "out there" when in reality it is right there inside them. By fighting the "out there" Beast, they are increasing the strength of the Beast within themselves.
