How Does Golding Present The Conflict Between Civilization And Savagery In Lord Of The Flies

Olivia Keys

Stallings

Intro to Fiction

May 15th

An Allegorical Tale of Ralph Roosevelt & Adolf Merridew

“He who would live must fight. He who doesn’t wish to fight in this world, where permanent struggle is the law of life, has not the right to exist.” This is a quote written by Adolf Hitler in his novel Mein Kampf. A similar mindset can be found in the mind of the character Jack Merridew in William Golding's novel Lord of the Flies. Throughout his novel, Golding utilizes the differing personalities of the characters to represent the theme of conflict between civilization and savagery in the novel and how it strongly resembles the strengths and weaknesses of World War II. These characters illustrate how a society, both fiction and nonfiction,

Ralph, Piggy, and Simon are three characters who truly bring out these themes. Ralph represents the characteristic of being orderly and strategic. He makes a continuous attempt to keep order around the island and prioritizes being saved, rather than hunting and having fun. During one of the tribe's earlier meetings, Ralph makes points on the fact that they need specific “people for looking after the fire.” so that they can be saved by an incoming ship (Golding 42). He also makes it a fact to “have more rules” so that the island remains organized. (Golding 42). His constant effort to keep the fire going and his reiteration of the importance of the speaker with the conch shows that Ralph is a strong representation of what it means to be civilized. His leadership qualities would have guided the members of the island to a more successful life, emphasizing the theme that reliable leaders create a reliable society. These attributes that he holds strongly represent the actions of President Franklin Roosevelt throughout World War II. Much like Ralph, Roosevelt also tried to keep things in order at times of struggle. In addition to Ralph, Piggy also is an individual who brings out a key attribute to the

Piggy appears to be the only member of the group who can completely think logically when difficult decisions need to be made. This is due to the fact that he adds scientific expertise to the group. One of the most difficult decisions of the group is the agreement of the existence of the Beast. Piggy knows that “there isn’t no beast” because that would not be scientifically possible. However, he does realize that the fear of the Beast is simply because the group is “frightened of people”, also known as themselves (Golding 84). Because of his abundant knowledge, Piggy remains more calm and sane than the rest as this assures him that the Beast isn't real. Therefore, Piggy represents the idea that having some logic in a society's solutions can be very useful. Finally, a society must have a sense of peace to truly survive. Throughout all of the chaos in the novel, Simon finds a clearing in the forest where he can feel at peace. His ability to keep