Human Savagery Analysis

George R.R. Martin once said, “There is a savage beast in every man, and when you hand that man a sword or spear and send him forth to war, the beast stirs.” In the Lord of the Flies by William Golding the children have a savage beast hidden within them. Human savagery is influenced by power, status, and even possession of tools. Ralph and Jack, leaders of the group, allow for the beast to awaken in them as they struggle to survive on the island. Jack is the first character who is corrupted by his human savagery. Jack is the first to deviate from order. The first hunt that Jack goes on invigorates him, but he is unable to kill the pig that they caught. Jack then realizes that being nice won’t allow him to catch the pig, so he instills a ruthless

Bash him in.” This unwillingness to kill the pig shows Jack's innocence. As seen, Jack slowly becomes mesmerized by the hunt. Eventually, Jack kills a pig, but at the cost of losing the fire they started. The lack of care of the fire is representative of Jack's lack of care for seeking a way off the island. The primitive behavior Jack showcases are amplified as he continues to hunt for pigs and neglect the opportunities to get off the island. This behavior then begins to come in the form of human savagery as he tortures those in Ralph’s camp and kills Simon and Piggy. Ultimately, the murder of Simon and Piggy is the peak of the Jack’s savagery. To imagine a group of children ages 6-14 murder two children out of sport is chilling. The book describes the murder of the children without even identifying who it is by describing the victim like an animal or beast, “The sticks fell and the mouth of the new circle crunched and screamed.

Ralph is introduced as a straightforward kid with the potential to be a great leader. Nevertheless, the island catches up with Ralph and his character devolves. Ralph becomes involved in the hunt and loses track of keeping order. Ralph even helps with the murder of Simon. However, by the end of the book, Ralph realizes the true enemy among the children, primitivity: "We start off with boys killing pigs, then boys pretending to kill boys who are pretending to be pigs, and finally Jack hunting down Ralph in pretend—maybe—hopes of impaling his head on a stick. The boys get eased into murder, just like we get eased into reading about it." By the end Ralph is described like an animal as he runs away from Jack. This description helps to emphasize the primal nature of the children’s savagery. Only when the adult arrives are the children able to cast away their savagery, but Ralph is no longer able to see the children the same