“There is no such thing as good or evil, there is only power and those who are too weak to seek it” – JK Rowling. In William Golding's novel Lord of the Flies, a group of schoolchildren end up on an uninhabited island, leading to a struggle for power and survival. The author claims that man is naturally evil; however, the characters Ralph, Simon, and Roger suggest that they have been shaped into their state of being. Ralph, the leader of the boys in most of Golding's novel, provides a great example of what benevolence a human being can have; however, this is a result of the conditioning he has endured, not a quality he was born with. In Fire on the Mountain, the boys discuss courses of action to ensure the group's survival. During this time, Ralph proposes that "[the boys] should make a fire [so that] they can help [the ships] find them" (38). The simple action of Ralph thinking of starting a fire to save the boys is one that defies any trace of evil. Furthermore, the fact that this action doesn't just benefit him, but rather the entire group, portrays a sort of empathetic side to Ralph as opposed to the narcissistic side that Golding would attempt to show if Ralph were evil. The reason why Ralph did not turn into a self-important individual would be the result of his upbringing from the neutral “state of nature”. Before arriving on the island, it is likely that Ralph's life was controlled by his parents' rules about right and wrong. Because he cannot distinguish the two, he has been unconsciously conditioned to do good deeds instead of bad ones. Therefore, when Ralph suggests making a fire, he does not know that he is performing a lovable action because it is part of his normal routine. Ralph is born into a neutral environment... middle of paper... has some form of empathy by not throwing rocks, but is later influenced to do otherwise. Jack, the most power-hungry person on the island, convinces Roger to regress to savagery, to "have fun," and to make throwing rocks tolerable for him (150-151). To achieve a goal, an authoritative figure must be present, just like hunting and building fires and shelters. Jack acts as this power in Roger's case by convincing him that "having fun" is the key to the island. In having fun, events can have a disastrous effect, which were the parameters present in Simon's death. “Evil” has its roots when one is misguided and not directly present at birth as Golding claims, one is molded into the position because they have no way of distinguishing right from wrong. When Roger aimed the rock at Piggy in Castle Rock, he wasn't aiming to miss, he was aiming to kill.