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Civilization In Lord Of The Flies Essay

542 Words3 Pages

A corrupt civilization

“Which is better- to have rules and agree or to hunt and kill?”(Golding,11.180) the question raised by Piggy is central to the conflict seen in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. Civilization is of the utmost importance in maintaining a structured and orderly society. In the novel a group of young boys is marooned on an island that has been untouched by humanity. At first they try to maintain the ideals and structures of society, however, soon this ideal is corrupted and they descend into savagery and violence.

At the beginning of the novel the boys attempt to have structure and society. “The space under the palm trees was full of noise and movement. Ralph was on his feet too shouting for quiet, but no one heard him. All at once the crowd swayed toward the island and was gone-following Jack. Even the tiny children went and did their best among the leaves and broken branches. Ralph was left holding the conch, with no one but Piggy.”(Golding,2.38) Ralph and the conch are the main symbol of their trying to maintain order and civilization in their society but as seen here …show more content…

“His voice rose under the black smoke before the wreckage of the island; and infected by that emotion, the other little boys began to shake and sob too. And in the middle of them, with filthy body, matted hair, and unwiped nose, Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of a man’s heart, and through the fall of the air of the true, wise friend called piggy.”(Golding,12.202) The boys all burst into tears as they realized how uncivilized they have become. The way their bodies are described shows that they are not taking care of themselves. “The darkness of a man’s heart” shows that they have become evil and capable of

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The conch symbolizes the role of leadership showing they have some source of civilization, once the conch is broken a descent into savagery leads to a dangerous turn for the boys. The one thing that the boys all had that could bring them together was the conch. “I’ll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he’s speaking.” Ralph says and later on says “We’ll have rules!”

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The children find themselves between two extremes: the honor they hold for the conch, and the savagery developed from the hunt. On the civilized end of the two extremes, the conch is a symbol of a functioning society. Ralph to further organize their meetings decides, “‘[He’ll] give the conch to the next person to speak,’” stating firmly that, “‘[the member] won’t be interrupted’” (P.33).

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