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Civility In Lord Of The Flies Essay

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While these characters are highly symbolic, their actions also bear significance in demonstrating the savage nature of humanity. When people lack the aspect of civility in their lives, they too will lack the restraints and barriers it has on one's inner evil. Civility, in essence, provides the basic structure for good. Through laws, structure, and general order, goodness then, for the most part will be the end product. Therefore a lack of civility would result in a lack of order, morals, and laws, leaving chaos to over power. The desolate island in The Lord of the Flies represents a lack of civility. Without parents, lawmakers, and guardians, the darkness which surfaces is inevitable. Piggy said in a feared state upon this realization: "This is an island? Well I …show more content…

After all we're not savages. We're English, and the English are the best at everything" (Golding 25). Ironically the very group he was talking to broke order and formed the savage group known as the 'hunters'. Similarly, Piggy too represents civility. He incorporates the conch which to aids in the order of the island. He is very fearful of the lack of civility and scared by the hunters. He feels that civility and order, although the ideal route, was going to be crushed, and with it him: "We can't do this, the savages, they would crush us" (Golding 54). It is quite obvious how the potential evil in a group of young boys unavoidably arises due to the lack of restraint and order. When the darkness surfaces, Jack and his group of hunters gain no self-knowledge, and therefore can not reprieve themselves nor the evil which takes over. A strong parallel can be drawn between the island in Lord of the Flies and The Congo in The Heart of Darkness. The Congo in is similarly used to represent the absence of restraint and order. The effect which is used exemplifies a lack of civility, which in turn provides the opportunity for the emergence of

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" Lord of the Flies" is a novel about a group of young boys who find themselves alone on a barren island. They build norms and organizational systems, but in the absence of adults to serve as a civilizing impetus, the children inevitably become violent and vicious. Through the emblem of the conch shell, William Golding shows how the loss of order/civilization and law leads to the emergence of barbaric behavior triumphing over society.

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