Savageness In Lord Of The Flies Essay

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“‘Nobody killed, I hope? Any dead bodies?’ ‘Only two. And they’ve gone’”(201). This part of the quote, could be seen in a conversation between a young boy and a grown up discussing the repercussions of a war. When the airplane shot down towards a deserted island, only the young boys survive. The boys have to create and manage an entirely new society, without the help from any grownups. The boys soon start to separate, and conflict soon arises. The characters Piggy, Ralph and Jack demonstrate the conflict between civilization and savageness through William Golding's novel, Lord Of The Flies. William Golding reinstates how when rules seem to no longer be relevant, animal instinct will become more powerful. Maybe our original state of mind might be wild, but it’s pushed down deep inside us. Even though the boys were on the …show more content…

While the rest of the tribe starts to worry, Ralph starts to prepare them to face against the others when he loudly asserts, “Well, we won't be painted;’ said Ralph, ‘because we aren't savages!’”(172). Ralph has taken back some of his control and wants his tribe to know that he does not want to resort to Jack’s ways. If they painted themselves, they would be as barbaric as everyone else. This implies that the practical part of civilization has started to reimburse itself. After Piggy’s glasses were taken and the group starts to prepare for the confrontation, Ralph thinks aloud and wisley requests, “‘We ought to comb our hair. Only it’s too long’”(173). The long hair represented the boys lack of hygiene as well as a physical characteristic of a vicious personality. Once Ralph and the rest of his tribe starts to keep their ‘wild’ hair out of their eyes, it shows how they keep their primitive side at bay. Ralphs use of hunting, stopping further fights and trying to seperate from the ‘natives’ shows the battle between society and the