Weird in the Wild: A Study of Bizarre Human Behavior Far from the Framework of Civilization in The Heart of Darkness and Lord of the Flies

Abstract

When the norms of a civilized society are nonexistent and the rules and regulations to control human behavior are absent or inadequate, an eccentric outburst of violence and cruelty overpowers the civilized and controlled conduct of human being. In terms of the daily acts of violence performed by one man against another, whether on a small, personal level or during large world wars, Golding's portrayal of this aspect of human nature in his novel The Lord of the Flies appears to be very true. On the other hand, Conrad has depicted in Heart of Darkness the qualities that make us human, primarily the darker aspects of our nature, such as man's pride of his own superiority. This approach is revealed when the colonizers in Africa treat the natives more cruelly and dehumanizingly due of the primitive manner of their life and weaponry. In both of the novels the settings are dark and deep forest, which holds a special place in the human imagination because it allows us to briefly put our urbane, civilized selves aside and let our wild selves take over the control. This essay makes an effort to pinpoint and examine the weird behavior of violence that flares out in a remote, wild setting, away from the network of civilization.