Savagery In Lord Of The Flies

The novels by William Golding depicts isolated groups of humans or individuals that are faced with limits of civilization and in turn cause them to confront their humanity. William Golding's first book, Lord of the Flies, is about a group of English Schoolboys that underwent a reversion into a state of savagery on a deserted island. In Lord of the Flies,William Golding uses the contrasting images of civilization and savagery to emphasize the inner brute that emerges through the thick mask that conceals it. To begin, Golding uses symbols to emphasize the characteristics of a civilization. One of the symbol that was mentioned in the beginning of the book was the conch. Piggy was first to discover the hidden treasure and said, “'We can use this

The first two characters he introduces to us are Ralph and Piggy. They were the first to commence the organization of the group. Ralph represents civilization, because he establishes order and rules in a methodical order to align the community in an adequate path to survival. “'Who wants me?' Every hand outside the choir except Piggy’s was raised immediately. Then Piggy, too, raised his hand grudgingly into the air. Ralph counted. 'I’m chief then'” (17). Ralph was chosen as chief, because he had the conch, which he used to bring everyone together. Piggy is considered to be civilized due to his intellectual contributions toward the group. He is the first person who thinks ahead about the consequences. For example, Piggy says, "'That's what I was going to say, when you all, all...' He gazed at their intent faces. 'The plane was shot down in flames. Nobody knows where we are. We may be here a long time'" (26). He thinks and stresses about the impact of the future due to their current situation. That is why Ralph relied on Piggy throughout the book, because he provided Ralph with intellect that is essential for their survival. A civilization is all about helping others within the community if it helps everyone to survive. Simon, who also represents civilization, was the only person whowas represented as a nurturer in the book. He offers help instead of possessing a hunger for control. "Simon found for them the fruit they could not reach, pulled off the choicest from up in the foliage, passed them back down to the endless, outstretched hands" (61). “Simon, the Christ figure, who tries to tell the children that their fears of a dead parachutist are illusory, is killed in a terrifying tribal dance” (Cox). Simon was also the first to recognize that the beast was in themselves. “'In a critical scene, he confronts the head of the pig and