Savagery In Lord Of The Flies Quote Analysis

Overthrowing Innocence with Evil Surviving turns to savagery when British schoolboys find themselves all alone on an island with no adults. In 1954 William Golding authored Lord of the Flies, a fictional novel about the desires of the heart of man and the destruction that erupts when those desires are pursued. Although many characters in the novel eventually follow the evil ways of the world, Ralph, the protagonist who was voted chief, stayed firm on his adamant beliefs that civilization, shelter, and rescue were of more importance than hunting, face painting, and savagery. Ralph’s loss of innocence and forced maturity reveal the truth that the nature of humans is destructive and leads to savagery and chaos. Although Ralph was filled with

Ralph repeatedly emphasized the importance of the existence of the fire, even though the savages in Jack’s tribe repeatedly disagreed with him on this matter and chose to hunt instead of tend to the fire. Although many of the boys seemed to be indifferent towards the fire, Ralph exclaimed “The fire’s the most important thing. Without the fire we can’t be rescued. I’d like to put on war-paint and be a savage. But we must keep the fire burning” (Golding 142). Realizing the prevalence of unintelligence, immaturity, and evil among the boys, Ralph recognized the importance of the fire, which symbolized his hope of rescue, and sought to convey this importance to the boys still in his tribe. Ralph’s increased maturity is evident in his prioritization of rescue and civilization, as opposed to the savages who only cared about hunting and war

For the first time Ralph allowed himself to truly indulge all the emotions he was forced to internalize while he was fighting for rescue and survival. Although he was overjoyed that they were finally rescued, “Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy” (Golding 202). Ralph, a once naive and innocent schoolboy who was voted chief of the group, had witnessed the innocent deaths of two of his friends, the loss of civilization, and many other forms of pure evil. As he cried to the Navy officer, Ralph finally acknowledged the severity of what had occurred on the island and recognized the evil hearts of men and the loss of innocence he had