Savagery In Lord Of The Flies Research Paper

Lord of the Flies Essay
“What are we? Humans? Or animals? Or savages? (Golding 75). In Lord of the Flies the boys battle between the conflict of savagery and civilization. Lord of the Flies is a novel written by William Golding. It is about a group of young boys who end up abandoned on an island without adult supervision. They must confront their own fears, desires and struggles while trying to establish an orderly society. In the novel Golding explores many themes including, the desire for power, the loss of innocence and the conflict between civilization and savagery. Golding's exploration of the of civilization versus savagery theme shows savagery is naturally a part of human nature, demonstrated by the characters.
The boys try to create

Initially, the boys establish rules and elect Ralph as their leader, but as time passes, the group becomes more divided and hostile. After originally following Ralph's lead, Jack creates his own tribe and starts hunting for himself rather than for the benefit of the group. This lack of cooperation and teamwork causes them to disregard essential tasks, such as maintaining the signal fire, resulting in a missed chance for rescue. Ralph states, “There was a ship. Out there. You said you’d keep the fire going and you let it out!” (Golding, 59). Jack and his tribe's neglect towards the fire represents the boy's loss of civilization and descent into savagery. This failure to be rescued signals a turning point in the boy's behavior, as they become more violent and animalistic. Furthermore, the boys begin to take part in violent and savage behavior such as the killing of pigs and murder of Simon and Piggy. Simon is murdered after being mistaken for the beast, who the boys have become very paranoid about. In an act of fear and aggression, the boys brutally murdered Simon with their bare hands, ignoring his cries for help and repeatedly chanting. The tribe chants, “Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood! Do him in!” (136). The chant reveals the boy's loss of all civil order and descent to savagery. It is a

The conch was another representation of civilization, along with Simon, the signal fire and Piggy. They are now all gone. Additionally, the boys turn into bloodthirsty hunters, eager to harm or kill their previous leader. The hunt is described as vicious and bloody, with the boys setting the island on fire to pursue Ralph. The author says, “He could hear them crashing in the undergrowth and on the left was the hot, bright thunder of the fire. He forgot his wounds, his hunger and thirst, and became fear; hopeless fear on flying feet,[...]” (Golding 181). This quote shows how Ralph is now living in the harsh reality of the brutal world ruled by Jack and his tribe. With the exception of Sam and Eric, who Jack has taken under his wing, Ralph is now the only civilized boy left, and he is pitted against everyone. Overall, the descent into savagery and violence, symbolized by Piggy's death and the destruction of the conch, represents the complete breakdown of order and morality in Lord of the