Nature Of Humanity In Lord Of The Flies

In The Lord of the Flies, William Golding plays with the theme of halves, in order to describe the incomplete nature of humanity. At different points in the novel, Golding portrays the boys as being savages: half naked, eating half raw meat, killing and raping animals with their faces half painted, and hair tied up like animals. William Golding uses the half motif to describe the mix between savage, civilized, and the fine line between the two extremes. The unbalanced behavior of the young boys creates a segregated atmosphere and leads to chaos and ultimately death on the island. The boys arrived on the island as young and innocent children escaping a dangerous war. Without parental influence, their lack of direction partially erodes their humanity and throws off their balance between civilized and savage. Golding vividly depicts the physical state of the boys to display

When the conch was shattered, the system fell through and the island lost its order. The boys were lured in with Jack’s reckless and vicious actions, and began forgetting what was just: “At once half the boys were on their feet. Jack clamored among them, the conch forgotten” (52). Here we see half of the boys on the island giving into Jack’s temptation and releasing their integrity, while the other half clench on to what they know is right. The island is split with savages on one side and boys on the other, which creates balance. We see this split again while the boys are all together, in an organized meeting: “A sound, half-laugh, half-jeer, rose among the seated boys” (119). Ralph is attempting to hold a necessary convention, during which we see a subtle difference in half of the boys. Half of them are laughing at Piggy’s somewhat idiotic comment, while the others are screaming like animals. Although this moment goes under the radar, it’s clear to see a transformation in the boy 's