The book Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding, is a literary masterpiece that illustrates the idea of nature vs. nurture. Throughout the entire story, the reader sees how humans base their behavior on their own nature or the nurture they received from the time of their birth. When it comes to the idea of nature vs. nurture; however, nurture tends to play a much bigger role in our lives than nature.

       The story Lord of the Flies revolves around a group of private school boys who are stranded on an island when their plane crashes. Soon after the boys all find each other, they begin setting up their own “mini society.” This “mini society” contains rules to provide fairness, equality, leadership, and job distribution to ensure their survival. Furthermore, there is no doubt that the children did not come up with these aspects of society on their own. In the words of one of the main characters, Piggy, "How can you expect to be rescued if you don’t put first things first and act proper?"
This is where the idea of nurture comes into play. Further examination of the boys would suggest that they were the product of at least middle-class parents with a private school education. With this in mind, it can be said that the boys had utilized the insight of their parents, teachers, and environment at home in order to come up with their own society on the island. Without the knowledge and views provided through the boy’s parents and education, it can be inferred that they would not be able to come up with the working society that they did. In fact, without nurture, would the boys even be able to survive?

       The answer to this question can be argued either way. It is possible that human nature could have kicked into high gear and turned the boys into savages and primitive beings (which it did by the end of the novel) or the boys could have suffered from a lack of knowledge and died much quicker and earlier in the novel. Furthermore, without the main characters, there would be no story. Thus, nurture is very important in our lives. Nurture is what causes us to be who we are as human beings and guides us to be the individuals that we eventually become. As far as writing goes, where would we be without the guidance of our teachers or the brilliant works of those before us? I know that my writing is a combination of every teacher and book I have read throughout my life. Although the idea of nurture is sometimes believed to be conforming, it is the pieces of knowledge that we choose to live by that make us individuals. We choose what we, as our own person, how we want to live through the nurture we receive. Thus, we choose who or what influences us the most in order to choose what we believe, think, and create in lives.