Theme Of Isolation In Lord Of The Flies

In Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, a group of boys is stranded on an island after their plane crashes. Without adult supervision, they find themselves descending into chaos and anarchy. Clearly, the island was the main cause of their downfall. Isolation from society, desire for meat, and fear of the beast were all brought on by the island and caused them to become savages with no real order. The boys’ isolation from society caused them to act in ways they usually would not. At the beginning of the novel, the boys were civilized and respectful. They followed a symbol of order: Ralph and the conch. However, their isolation from society while on the island caused them to become savages as the book progressed. They stole from each other

The island had plenty of edible fruit, but meat was always preferred. While at the start it was more of a game for Jack and his hunters, they soon became brutes and did many atrocious acts that they would never have done if they were not trapped on the island. For example, Jack and his hunters went after a mother pig and her litter of piglets. As they attacked, “[Roger’s] spear moved forward inch by inch and the terrified squealing became a high-pitched scream. Then Jack found the throat and the hot blood spouted over his hands” (Golding 135). Instead of feeling sorry that they had brutally killed a mother pig and made it impossible for her litter to survive, the boys feasted on the meat and celebrated their victory. Later on, and without a way to start a fire, Jack and his hunters decided to steal Piggy’s glasses in order to cook their meat. Rather than ask Ralph politely to start a fire, as they would have done at the beginning of the book, Jack and two others attacked Ralph’s tribe. As they fought, the shelter “became a complication of snarls and crashes and flying limbs” (167). Jack’s group would rather attack others than ask politely in order to get what they want. Clearly, the boys’ desire for meat caused them to become