Civilization Vs Savagery In Lord Of The Flies

In Lord of the flies, William Golding shows Ralph struggle between civilization and savagery in the first meeting when Simon is murdered, and when the boys are rescued. Throughout the first meeting, Ralph establishes his stance on keeping civilized, while also demonstrating his innocence. Ralph throughout the book the main advocate for order and the first meeting allows him to claim that role. “Seems to me we aught to have a chief to decide things” (28). Though Ralph initially wins the vote for chief solely based on the fact that he blew the conch, he takes on the role quickly, like when he tells Piggy he can’t come “with the directness of genuine leadership” (29). However, Ralph is not the only one in the tribe that is excited about

Once the tribe breaks up, Ralph and Piggy’s efforts to restore civilization increase as they see Jack’s party of “savages” start to gain members. As they become more desperate for return to civilization, they find that the boys are more interested in raw power, and find themselves drawn to it as well: “Ralph… found [himself] eager to take part in this demented but partly secure society” (218). Although it is based on fear, he wields almost ultimate power over his tribe, showing that it isn’t leadership found in the civilized world. As their attempt on civilized society crumbles, both Ralph and Jack begins to act more impulsively, proving their descent into savagery. When Simon is killed, Ralph’s group knows that the events leading up to the death are not welcome in the civilized world. That causes them to try to pretend it didn’t happen in hopes of disguising their guilt: “Memory of the dance that none of them attended should all four boys convulsively” (227). While Jack acts compulsively without fear of repercussions from his tribe, Ralph thinks critically of his actions, as if he were still a part of society. This causes him to try and hide his “savagery” by brushing his hair and taking a bath, but that strategy obviously does not work as he continues to act without proper foresight. Though they both are starting to act irrationally, Ralph is clearly still