The theme of the poem is darkness of the human heart, which is also a theme in Lord Of The Flies. As stated in the poem, the darkness lies 'in all of us'. Also, many a times, people are 'consumed by' 'the beast within' and 'all that remains' is the 'true darkness'. The poem is similar to Lord of The Flies as it suggests that the darkness and the 'beast' is actually in our hearts but not externally. The poem states that 'some can control it' but 'others are consumed by it' In the context of Lord of The Flies, not only Jack, but even the little- uns, cannot control their inner desires and ends up releasing the inner beast within them. In Lord of The Flies, an example of the darkness of the human heart being portrayed is through the boys having desire and control over others. Jack and Henry have desire for power and wants control over others. Jack's desire for power can be seen when he said 'I ought to be chief', when they were voting for chief. Also, he felt angry and humiliated when he was not chosen to be chief. Jack also interrupts Ralph when he is speaking, suggesting that he was self- centred and wanted to be in control of the situation. Henry, even as a little-un, desires power and control. This can be seen when 'Henry was a bit of a leader' when he was playing with 'Percival and Johnny, the smallest boys on the island.' He also used a stick to poke the living creatures on the ground. 'He became absorbed beyond mere happiness as he found himself exercising control over the living things' and 'his footprints became bays in which they were trapped, giving him the illusion of mastery.' This suggests that Henry found pleasure while 'urging' and 'ordering' the insects, and he was overjoyed to be able to manipulate the insects, showing the inner darkness within him. The boys could not contain the beast within them which eventually caused the boys descend into savagery, violence and death.
- Valerie Tang
- Valerie Tang