Savagery In Lord Of The Flies Essay

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“They understood only too well the liberation into savagery that the concealing paint brought” (Golding 172). In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, savagery can be seen through many examples — murder, discord, ritualistic and violent sacrifices, and language. The boys in Lord of the Flies acted savagely and immorally due to biological factors because it is human nature to turn on each other. There are Biblical allusions in the novel that prove that the immorality of the boys is deep-seated. “Aren't you afraid of me? There isn't anyone to help you. Only me. and I'm the beast... Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill! You knew, didn't you? I'm part of you? Close, close, close! I'm the reason why it's no go? Why things are the way they are?... You know perfectly well you’ll only meet me down there — so don't try to escape!” (Golding 143). The Lord of the Flies (the pig on the stick) represents Beelzebub, a demon who according to some beliefs, represents gluttony and envy (Jack was jealous of Piggy and couldn’t get enough meat). Furthermore, the island may represent the Garden of Eden. The boys were tempted by savagery, envy, and gluttony (sins) just like Eve was tempted by sin to eat the forbidden fruit. Thus, this shows that humans have been tempted by sins …show more content…

However, the opposite is true because their behavior was caused by biological factors. “We've got to have rules and obey them. After all, we're not savages” (Golding 58). n the beginning, the boys wanted to follow rules. They were happy at first because there were no adults or parents to tell them what to do. However, this led to them developing without parental figures which is a biological factor. Had they had even one adult with them, perhaps they may have acted more morally. If they had an adult with them, they would have been safer