What Is The Progressive Descent Into Savagery In Lord Of The Flies

On this uninhabited island, a group of British schoolboys develop their natural savage acts. While the first pig hunt was for the desire of meat, Golding makes changes to the boys hunts dramatically since he developed the second pig hunt to imply that Jack and his hunters are careless and the exhilarating hunt for Ralph, implying that human beings are naturally evil and without rules they will turn to savages.

Showing the progressive descent into savagery through the evolution of the pig hunts, Jack’s hesitation to kill the pig in chapter 3 indicates the boys still had a sense of civilization before turning fierce. Ralph reprimands Jack for not returning with meat and since “Jack flushed” (51) implies that he still has some humanity in him.

The activity of the boys circling around “jabbing at Robert” (114) suggests that the boys are losing sight of the severity of their actions. Their perceptions on hunting have dramatically changed, now the boys have a compulsion to brutally hurt pigs. Wounding Robert as if he was the boar symbolizes the boy's descent into brutality because they are losing touch with their civilized selves. Since Jack states “Use a little’ (115) suggests his disregard of human life. Even though Jack’s comment was laughed at, the comment reflects the collapse of civilization on the island, since using a small child as a boar would cause turmoil. Jack is willing to exploit the littles on the island, showing how the desire for authority can bring about the darker side of human nature. Clearly when Jack describes the pig hunt with “lashings of blood” (69) he implies his aggressive nature. Jack had begun to find enjoyment out of slashing and brutally killing the pigs. The hunts are now not simply for food, but instead for the enjoyment of slaughtering

Admittedly, when Sam Eric tells Ralph Jack’s plan to “hunt you [Ralph] tomorrow” (188) implies Jack’s loss of self control. The hunt for Ralph exemplifies the savage behaviors within the boys without the civilization they once had. No doubt when the hunt for Ralph is anticipated to throw spears “like at a pig” (189) shows the loss of innocence. Jack, the manipulating tribe leader, has planned to hunt Ralph the same way as a pig. The civilization on the island is swept away, thus the chase for Ralph brings out the evil amongst the boys. The action of Roger “sharpening a stick” (1990) suggests the boys' morally wrong behavior. Therefore, Roger’s actions have transitioned into savagery without the civilization of the