Evil Among Us

In the 1600’s the enlightenment was in its infancy. Philosophers such as: Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Baron de Montesquieu, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau had just published their philosophies about political, social, and economic affairs. Rousseau proposed that people are good in nature, however they are corrupted by society. Thomas Hobbes believed the antithesis, “The condition of man [in the state of nature] … is a condition of war of everyone against everyone”(459 Ellis & Esler). William Golding took …

…dark nature. Golding’s main idea is summed up when Simon says, “What I mean is…maybe it’s only us”(89). Golding also thought that the beast was inside; the beast representing the true dark nature of man. Golding proves this through the destructive atrocities man has committed, the emotional disregard for each other, and the biases held against ourselves and others, showing that all are evil even if they blind themselves to the fact.