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Savagery in Lord Of the Flies
The theme of violence in the lord of the flies novel
Savagery in Lord Of the Flies
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Recommended: Savagery in Lord Of the Flies
The novel Lord of the Flies by Robert Golding is a story about a group of boys stuck on a tropical island. In chapters seven and eight, the power struggle between Jack and Ralph is becoming more prominent, eventually causing Jack to go off and form his own group. As the plot develops, the boys are becoming more and more savage. One example of this is when the boys have a mock hunt, using Robert as the pig. On page 114, Golding writes, “Kill the pig!
Instead of responding to Piggy’s arguments, the savages use violence and noise to drown out any opposition with no real reasoning to back them up. The main theme emphasized in Lord of the Flies is that humans are by nature corrupt and evil. This passage embraces that theme because the savages make immoral decisions to gain power and silence the voices projecting against them. It is a turning point in the book where the darkness in the boys’ hearts wins over their compassion and empathy. The real struggle for power is over and hatred has proved to be stronger than kindness and
The boys were running as fast as they could to keep up with the pig they hit with the spear. They all haven’t had meat in days and they were craving it, they were losing their innocence and becoming savages. This is one thing in the book, Lord of the Flies, that shows a loss of innocence. This is a common theme throughout this book, a loss of innocence. Some examples of this are the killing of Piggy, the hunts, the actions of the tribe, and just Jack in general.
The lord of the flies commanding Simon to “get back” to the children who later murder him, the Christlike figure, demonstrates the Devil’s strong control over all people(143). Being comparable to the Devil, the lord of the flies is very deceiving and convinces Simon to march to his death, like Jesus did to his crucifixion. Corruption is among the boys as even the Christlike figure falls to temptation and is murdered amidst the violence of the island. The boys fearfully leaving the pig head for “the beast” as they try to appease a creature of the Devil’s works, reveals just how much power people give to monsters(137). Because the boys are trying to appease the beast, they are worshiping an evil entity like humans are naturally drawn to.
The novel Lord of the Flies is one of the best examples of human instincts and the ability to become savage from one day to the next. All throughout William Golding’s novel there are signs of the characters changing from well behaved boys to complete savages. In the beginning of the novel, Lord of the Flies, Jack Merridew is one of the best examples of a boy who goes from a civilized manner to a complete savage. One of the first things Jack does is insults Piggy, an overweight boy who cannot do very much.
In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, a group of stranded boys survive on an island with no adults, soon their sense of morality falls apart and violence takes place. The loss of morality causes the boys to break the rules and become violent. Eventually, the boys become uncivilized and stop caring about their actions. They get to a point where they disregard logical thought and resort to violence without reason. As the story progresses, the absence of morality causes violence to reign among the boys.
One of the most identifiable precursors to savage behavior from the boy in Lord of the Flies are the lack of regulation on the island. Thanks to an absence of authority, the boys have the free will to behave how they please without the repercussions you’d expect. “Here, invisible yet strong, was the taboo of old life. Round the squatting child was the protection of parents and school and policemen and the law.” (Golding 63)
Many would be confounded how civilized men can become savage so rapidly when put in an uncivilized restricted district. We all are fully aware that guns are the number one weapon used in murders, but many are astounded when they are informed that personal weapons such as a body part is fourth on the list. How could one commit a cold blooded murder with their bare hands? A countless number of people would deny they have enough strength within to accomplish this. What if one told you we all possess this quality.
They yell a chant, "kill the pig, cut her throat, spill her blood" which also shows they have lost humanity. This also shows an example of how the boys have lost humanity and begin to act wilder and focus only on killing. This happened because they were left alone with no guidance caused by the plane accident. Ultimately, it is crucial to remember surviving with no guidance can alter human
The hidden savagery of humans that is dormant because of civilization is presented in Lord of the Flies through its symbolism, repetition and diction. The struggle for power and control on the island led to the exposure of savage nature that is present in the boys who were forced into a lawless place. Throughout the novel reason and logic are abandoned, causing the boys to act on whims and be controlled by their instincts rather than control themselves. Civilization has dampened human’s savage ways, but believing that there are no consequences could lead to the downfall of humanity and the return of the primitive ways society believes it has abandoned. Golding wrote Lord of the Flies to expose the hidden savagery that humans possess and how if humans aren’t careful they will become the savages
The first reason I think the boys savage and immoral behavior is based on biology. I said that because there was no adults to guide them. And, that led them to go crazy simply because there was rule or authority there. I can support my reason from the article “ Why boys become vicious”. It shows kids
In Lord of the Flies, the boys act out of fear and cruelty instead of showing heroism and nobility, thus displaying the weakness of the human heart when faced with extreme circumstances. All the fear the boys have is because they are alone on an island without any civilization. Along with the loneliness, the speculation of a terrifying beast leads to Jack – the oldest choir boy – becoming a savage. He does what he wants despite establishing rules and a leader at the start and turning the rest of the boys savage as well. His true savagery comes out when they kill Simon – a younger choir boy.
In William Golding's The Lord of the Flies, boys trapped on an island turn into deranged savages and kill each other after they fail to follow the rules of their made-up tribe. Cruelty is used by Golding as a way to communicate his theme which could be that cruelty is in nearly everybody, but civilization’s laws and control prevent that trait from prevailing. The author leaves some evidence of him trying to convey this theme throughout the book. A part of the book that shows this theme being shown would be the demise of Piggy and civilization.
When you look at someone do you look and see a good kid? Do you ever really notice that they are savage on the inside. In the lord of the flies it shows that The children’s efforts to build an orderly society through a rules-based government falls apart. A basic theme of the novel is that human beings are basically violent and savage, which makes civic order impossible to sustain.the boys acting different because there are no rules/civic order.the boys were so obsessed with killing a pig it made them more savage.they really weren't doing anything they were messing around and never took anything seriously there is no way they would be able to stay non-savage and they didn’t.
In the Lord of the Flies the boys lose their innocence in exchange for savagery or for maturity because of the attitudes towards killing animals and people. Ralph and Piggy lose their innocence and transform into mature people because they oppose killing people and do not enjoy killing animals. While Jack and his hunters are out hunting Ralph and Piggy focus on the more important things such as shelters and the fire. Jack and his hunters are also supposed to keep the fire going but they continuously forget.
