Behavior In Lord Of The Flies

Behavior Changes Without Rules

Steven James once said, “The true nature of man left to himself without restraint is not nobility but savagery,” (Z Quotes). The sentiment of James’ quote is similar to the theme in the book, Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, where a group of boys is deserted on an island without any adults, quickly deciding to name a boy, Ralph, the leader with the goal of rescue. At the same time, an opposing boy named Jack wants to be the leader with the goals of fun and hunting. Through the use of conflict, William Golding suggests that the lack of civilization has an adverse effect on sanity and moral standards.

On the deserted island, Golding implies that rules and laws are not always enjoyable, but they keep order in a

Simon goes off on his own and loses their sanity which can be seen through his conversation with a pig skull, it says to Simon, “‘There isn’t anyone to help you. Only me. And I’m the Beast.’ Simon’s mouth labored, brought forth audible words. ‘Pig’s head on a stick,’” (Golding 164). By making up conversations with dead animals, Golding shows how Simon is losing touch with reality after the boys split up. Losing the structure of a civilized tribe caused Simon to go insane. After Jack forms his own tribe, Ralph discovers the same skull that Simon found, and has the same effect on him “Little prickles of sensation ran up and down his back… the teeth grinned, the empty sockets seemed to hold his gaze masterfully and without effort” (Golding 214). Ralph’s tribe doesn’t have enough boys for the structure it formerly had and because of that, Ralph also starts to lose touch with reality. Ralph’s conflict is questioning reality, wondering if the skull was actually grinning. Like Simon, Ralph succumbs to insanity without order at camp. The book shows that without rules, life falls into