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Torsten Whetsell
Ms. Odle
Pre AP English II / Hour 4
5 September 2014
The Savage Truth About Civilization
People around the world have proclaimed that history is always doomed to repeat itself.
Over thousands of years this has been proven through the repeated cycles of peace and war, as
well as the rise and fall of civilizations. Of all of the civilizations and cultures to have existed,
none have been as influential as those of the Classical and Early Medieval time periods. Patterns
of human behavior that are known to have emerged during these periods appear in William
Goldings Lord of the Flies. Throughout Goldings novel classical ideas and themes are present.
When left unchecked by civilization and good, the thought that savagery and evil festers and
grows in humanity, is seen through all areas of his work.
According to ancient Greco-Roman culture, civilizations should be built upon the human
achievements of physical prowess and intellect. These aspects are present in the characters of
Ralph and Piggy. As well as being perceived as being physically adept, and powerful especially
when compared to Piggy, Ralph is seen as the boy with the fair hair, and with a mouth and
eyes that {proclaim} no devil, (11-2, 15). His physical assets and Spartan behavior keeps the
littluns under control and makes them feel as though they have a competent, civilized leader.
Piggy, on the other hand, is quite intelligent but utterly lacks physical capabilities. He is, shorter
than the fair boy and very fat, as well as being greasy and unkempt (11-2). Goldings initial
description and the character name is off-putting to the reader, making him think Piggy is a fat
lazy swine. Ralph sees past this and finds Piggys classical form of thinking useful in

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maintaining civilization and order. Even though intellect and athletic ability are seen as building
blocks of civilizations; when thrown out of balance in favor of physical power, civilization
usually descends into savagery.
One of the most feared peoples in the classical world were the Huns, who were feared for
their lust for power and savage slaughter of those who stood in opposition. This same lust for
power is seen in all periods of history, and is experienced in even the smallest of groups. When
this occurs, the humanist beliefs of morality and rationalism begin to shift into the deadly traits
of bloodlust and the want for power. In Goldings novel, Jack strives for the power to dominate
over all of the boys. To do so he tips the scales in favor of physical power, unleashing a torrent of
bloodlust and manipulation. Jack states arrogantly, I ought to be chief, as he brags about his
right to lead in an effort to become chief and obtain power (29). He manipulates his blood thirst
and the fear of the beast to conquer and decimate all remaining opposition. Whilst some people
want for power or civilized life, there are those who view life along the plane righteous good and
sadistic evil.
In the Middle Ages people were known to be extremely superstitious and obsessed with
the afterlife as well as the black and white concepts of good and evil. Simon and Roger represent
these in Goldings novel. Simon is seen as a skinny, vivid little boy, who suffers from faints
(32). He is weak but has a very strong moral compass. He acts in a very Christian way helping
those who the others ignore. This is seen as he is helping the littluns get the juicy fruit that is
normally out of reach. He unravels the mysteries of human evil and savagery, and sees the Lord
of the Flies for what he really is. Roger on the other hand is the most evil of the boys. This is
evident since the beginning of the book when he, {picks} up a stone, {aims} and {throws} it at
Henry, just for the fun of having the power to hurt this little boy (78). This shows his sadistic

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personality, that will eventually deteriorate into sheer evil. He is the one who kills with no regret,
causing the reader to hate him more than all other characters. As is often true in life, the beautiful
dove is crushed by the hideous crow.
Alas, Classical civilizations eventually fell to time and corruption. Although people can
try as hard as they want to avoid it, the dark truth is that there is savagery in everyone, and we
are the only barrier standing in its path. If good and civilization are present, evil and savagery are
bound to be close behind. Nations fall and peace turns to war. Even in Goldings Lord of the
Flies, the once peaceful tribe of boys turned on each other leading to the downfall of all of them.
The savage nature of humanity is truly an unstoppable force, only slowed by the weak inhibitor
of civilized thought. But, however meager, there is hope that even in the darkest of nights there
will be those who, in spite of everything, continue out into the world to battle back the torrent of
savagery. Although the ancient empires fell, nations and kingdoms have stepped up to fill the
gap, and so must all those who stand as a barrier against evil in the world.

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Works Cited
Golding, William Lord of the Flies. London: Faber 1954 print
SparkNotes Editors. SparkNote on Lord of the Flies. philanthropy.com. Alex Daniels. n. d.
Web. 16 November. 2014.