The main theme of "Lord of the Flies" is to demonstrate the differences between civilization and savagery. The plane that the schoolboys are on is shot down during a time of war, killing some of the passengers and the pilot, leaving the children without an adult figure to look to for guidance. As a power struggle develops between the three main characters Jack, Ralph and Piggy, Ralph quickly takes charge. With Jack 's support, he becomes the leader of the boys, while Piggy remains an outsider, worried about the long term survival of the boys. As time passes, Ralph grows to appreciate Piggy 's maturity, while Jack encourages anarchy and savagery among the boys. Eventually, Jack gains the majority of influence over the other boys, encouraging them to let go of the remnants of their civility, culminating in the murders of Piggy and another boy, Simon, at the hands of the other children. After Piggy 's death, the other children begin to hunt Ralph who, while running for his life, collapses on the beach and is found by a naval officer. The officer does not believe Ralph 's story, thinking that the boys have just been playing games. The children are taken from the …show more content…
Piggy, for instance, has no savage feelings, while Roger seems barely capable of comprehending the rules of civilization. Generally, however, Golding implies that the instinct of savagery is far more primal and fundamental to the human psyche than the instinct of civilization. Golding sees moral behavior, in many cases, as something that civilization forces upon the individual rather than a natural expression of human individuality. When left to their own devices, Golding implies, people naturally revert to cruelty, savagery, and barbarism. This idea of innate human evil is central to Lord of the Flies, and finds expression in several important symbols, most notably the beast and the sow’s head on the stake. Among all the characters, only Simon seems to possess anything like a natural, innate