“I think this is the true loss of innocence: the first time you glimpse the boundaries that will limit your potential” (Steve Toltz). In the previous quote, Steve Toltz discusses the transition from innocence to corruption. William Golding's Lord of the Flies illustrates the loss of innocence through various characters: Jack, who struggles with pride and a thirst for power; Roger, who revels in the pain of others and uses fear to control boys; Simon, who represents the end of purity when humans are at their wildest; Ralph, which illustrates the struggle people endure when attempting to be civilized next to the savage; and Piggy, who suffers because he has the only technology needed to survive. Golding reinforces the theory that true innocence will often pay the price for supporting true evil by organizing characters' personalities and actions in a way related to the effects of Darwin's theory of evolution, "survival of the fittest" (). Jack is a good example of this as he wields power over the weak and uses his hunting skills to survive. The thirst to demonstrate his masculinity prevails over his innate purity, effectively corrupting him. Jack's loss of innocence begins a domino effect that begins to affect others. Jack begins the novel partially innocent, cruel enough to yell at the boys but pure enough to balk at the task of killing the pig. Jack gets the tools needed to kill the pig, but claims he needs help cornering the animal. Jack, who doesn't really need help to kill the pig but rather the support provided by the mob mentality, acquires the support of his choir and together the boys hunt and kill the pig, all the while singing: “Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Spill his blood”... in the center of the paper......institute fear and vulnerability in him. They feed off his fearful cries for help, because they make boys feel strong and masculine. Children unconsciously recognize that innocence is the boundary that limits the potential for evil. For this reason, pure innocence is continually sacrificed throughout the novel to satisfy the malevolent desires that the boys acquire. Works Cited Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York: Coward-McCann, 1962. Print.Toltz, Steve. A fraction of the whole. New York: Spiegel & Grau, 2008. Print.Brent Elliott, Eileen Joyce, Simon Shorvon, Delusions, illusions and hallucinations in epilepsy: 2. Complex phenomena and psychosis, Epilepsy Research, Volume 85, Issues 2–3, August 2009, Pages 172-186, ISSN 0920-1211, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2009.03.017.(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0920121109000825)