Civility And Savagery In Lord Of The Flies

In the midst of an infuriating war, a plane evacuating a group of British schoolboys and is shot down over a deserted island. The boys are abandoned with no food, rules or adults. Jack and Ralph : both innocent and moral schoolboys are deserted on this island. Throughout the novel the idea of civility changes completely because of them trying to adapt to this island life. One theme conveyed in Lord of the Flies is that man has two competing instincts: civility and savagery. As the boys first get used to this island life, they demonstrate a civilized manner of managing things around the island. When Ralph was talking to the group of boys about the conch he says “that’s what this shell is called. I'll give the conch to the next person

When the boys were repeating over and over,“Kill the pig. Cut his throat. Spill his blood. Yet as the words become audible.” (58) This shows how as the story goes on, the boys are showing more glimpses of becoming bestial or animal-like. Golding uses repetition to show how the boys are truly starting to adapt to the island. As Ralph tries to hang on what left of this civilized manner he says “we need an assembly. Not for fun. Not for laughing and falling off the log. But to put things straight.”(68) Ralph still clenches on this idea of still being rescued and being civilized until they rescue them. As the story goes on that all

When the boys massacre Simon thinking he is the beast the narrator shows “ at once the crowd surged after it, poured down the rock, leapt onto the beast scream, struck, bit, tore. There were no words and no movements but of the tearing of teeth and claws.”(136) Golding uses lots of vivid imagery and word choice in this scene. This shows how savagery has completely dominated them to the assassination of Simon. They've adapted to the island reverting back to their savage ways. He shows “the tearing of teeth and claws” to show how they are being contrasted to animals. They are being deprived of their sight of reality and losing all humanity. They have ceased to being humans and became ever so primitive. The boys have really been deprived of their sight of what should matter to them mostly, humanity. When Jack who has become a symbol of this animalistic figure and the narrator demonstrates how “ the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist.” (163) This shows how now almost all hope is lost. This power and orderly way of doing things have been “ceased to exist.” Ralph tries to hang on but without the conch he's nothing. This orderly manner of doing things is now eradicated and will never come back. The conch throughout the whole book has become this symbol of order and now Jack just obliterated it like it was nothing. Jack showed that the true leader is savagery and he