Golding's Lord Of The Flies Self Preservation Essay

Self-preservation is present in all of us. It is a basic instinct of human beings. Nevertheless, survival is often overlooked in a society with rules, order, and authority. We are taught to follow moral standards, such as being generous to others and being fair and honest. William Golding expresses that when faced with death, moral standards disappear and the only thing that really matters is protecting ourselves. He believes that human nature is inherently evil. In the book, Lord of the Flies, the boys begin with something similar to a civilization, but it quickly dissipates when hunting starts to become more important for people like Jack. Golding develops the idea that when civilization is lost, our savage instincts come through and we

In other words, he is trying his best to sustain the rules and order of modern civilization. He is protecting the others from the darkness of human nature that Golding expresses. Ralph is the natural leader of the group and he understands how to organize the boys and keep things civil. His leadership shows when he is determined to maintain their signal fire and build huts to protect them from the weather. The signal fire played a big role in maintaining the civility. It was their hope of being rescued by passing ships. When Jack and his group of hunters let the fire burn out Ralph’s anger is overwhelming. This raises the tension between them and Ralph realizes that he will not be able to cooperate with Jack, who obviously has different standards of what's essential to the island. On a deserted island, building shelters are vital to be protected from the weather and feeling secure. It also makes it feel like a community. The shelter building starts off well with the first couple but the others start getting lazy and don’t see the significance. In the end, the only two that are left are Simon and Ralph. They see the importance of it because it is practical and will protect them from the rain. This is another great example that illustrates Ralph’s ability to see the priorities of his