The Descension to Savagery When unsupervised by society's rule of law human have a tendency to fall to brutality in order to feel in control. In Golding's novel Lord of the Flies, a group of schoolboys, stranded on an island, were not able to control their own emotions. They slowly but surely slipped into savagery and forgot their own morals that they once had when they lived a safe organized life. This exemplifies that when mankind is entrusted with absolute freedom, he will end up reverting back to savagery and chaos for power over society rather than being civil and democratic. Throughout the novel Golding uses the characters, setting, and symbolism to convey the boys descension to savagery. Each of the main characters represent an area of humanity as they struggle for power and command over the society. Ralph is introduced as the eldest and most civilized boy with gentlemen-like features. From when he summoned all the boys with the conch they established that he would be their chief because “there …show more content…
The conch originally brought them all together and gave each and every one of them a voice so that there would be respect and safety within the community. The conch's sound was described to have "a deep harsh note [that] boomed under [Ralph's] palms, spread through the intricacies of the forest, and echoed back from the pink granite of the mountain." (17) From the very noise to it's significance in the group of boys it was powerful and loud. However, the conch slowly loses dominance when the boys stop caring about the conch and the rules. Eventually, the conch was shattered and Jack triumphantly declared that "there isn't a tribe for [Ralph] anymore! The conch is gone."(181) The destruction of the conch meant the downfall of Ralph and the laws that he believed the conch would