Civilization Vs. Savagery In William Golding's Lord Of The Flies

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Everyone has both evil and good sides within them. The civilized side of human nature obeys law and order, while the savage side of human nature acts selfishly.In Lord Of The Flies, civilization represents the good inside of the boys that choose to live by rules, act rationally. On the other hand, savagery represents the evil in the boys that choose to act violently and abuse their power. In this novel, William Golding portrays a society which ends in a disaster caused by savagery overriding civilization. It shows the startling, brutal side of human nature. Civilization versus savagery is the main theme in the novel Lord of the flies and is represented through many different aspects of the novel. Golding uses his characters to represent the abstract ideas of good and evil in a society. Golding also uses powerful and repetitive symbols such as the conch shell and the beast to reinforce his theme of civilization versus savagery. The central way that Golding portrays the theme civilization vs savagery is through the conflict between Jack and Ralph. Ralph is one of the main characters which represents the group of civilization. In the beginning of the novel, Ralph suggests to elect a leader by voting, this is an act of democracy and a display of civilization, as everyone gets a chance to vote. Moreover, after Ralph has been elected as leader, he uses his newfound authority to establish rules in order to protect the good of the group. "There 's another thing. We