Trace the changes that occur in the nature of the beast throughout the novel Lord of the Flies?

Answer 1

Initially mentioned, by the littlun with the mulberry coloured birthmark on his face, as a beastie and a snake-thing, the beast is dismissed as a nightmare and the result of an over active childish imagination. Later though other boys begin to fall prey to the same imaginings, and a general fear of the dark and the unknown begins to rear its head. Even Jack, who hunts alone at times, feels that sometimes he is the hunted rather than the hunter. When Ralph calls a meeting to clear the air and settle once and for all that there is no beast things don't go to plan. After wild imaginings that the beast might be some sort of giant squid the boys actually vote and confirm their belief in ghosts. This is a pivotal moment as it shows that the rational world has been left behind and an alternative world of imagined terrors and monsters has taken its place. Metaphorically the security of the bedroom light has been replaced by the fear of monsters hiding under the darkness of the bed. Samneric compound the problem even further when they report their supposed encounter with a real beast with wings and claws. The imagined beast has become a reality. No longer the product of a nightmare or a philosophical discussion about the unknown the beast is now a living entity. Jack then elevates it even further by leaving it offerings and declaring that the beast is a hunter Later he theorises that it came 'disguised' as Simon and might do so again and then asks "How could we kill it?" Endowing it with magical powers of regeneration. The littlun's snake-thing has evolved, through various stages, into a primitive hunter's God.

Answer 2

In "Lord of the Flies," the nature of the beast begins as a mythical creature that the boys fear. However, as the novel progresses, it is revealed that the true nature of the beast is the darkness and savagery within themselves. The beast transforms from an external threat to an internal struggle for power and control. By the end of the novel, the boys come to understand that the real beast is the evil that resides in each of them.

Answer 3

The changing nature is how Jack could not kill the pig and then a month later they are killing a mother pig that is feeding her babies. the mother pig symbolizes their innocence and by killing the pig which is also the most harmless thing they could come across they kill what is left of their civilized selves becoming what they fear most, the beast.