Innate Evil / Darkness Within

Question 1

Maybe there is a beast… maybe it’s only us.

Answer 1

Simon understands that the real threat is within the boys themselves. The ellipsis shows hesitation—acknowledging our own evil is hard.

Question 2

“The beast was harmless and horrible; and the news must reach the others.”

Answer 2

This oxymoron (“harmless and horrible”) reveals the truth about the beast—it’s just a dead man, but the fear it causes leads to horror. It shows how belief in evil creates evil.

Question 3

“Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill!”

Answer 3

The “Lord of the Flies” (a pig’s head) symbolises evil itself. This line mocks the boys’ misunderstanding. It’s Golding’s message: you can’t kill evil, because it’s part of human nature.