SAVAGERY VS CIVILISATION

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INHERENT SAVAGERY/EVIL

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VIOLENCE

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ALLEGORICAL NOVEL

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BESTIARY

INTRODUCTION

William Golding's novel "Lord of the Flies" explores the profound and unsettling depths of
human nature through a group of boys stranded on a deserted island. Set against the
backdrop of post-war optimism, Golding challenges the prevailing belief in human goodness,
asserting instead that inherent evil lurks within every individual, regardless of age. Influenced
by his own wartime experiences and observations of human cruelty, Golding crafts a
narrative where innocence gives way to savagery, revealing the fragility of civilization in the
face of primal instincts.

BODY PART

Historically, the post-war period was marked by optimism, but William Golding's experiences
shaped a more complex view. Beyond the war itself, Golding was deeply affected by what he
perceived as humanity's inherent capacity for sinfulness, a theme he explores in Lord of the
Flies. He believed that evil was not merely a product of external circumstances like war but a
fundamental trait intrinsic to human nature. This perspective, influenced by his observations
of widespread cruelty and violence reported in newspapers, forms the basis of his novel.
Golding isolates young children on the island to illustrate that even innocents can display
barbarism comparable to adults.

The novel opens with a group of boys, aged five to twelve, surviving a plane crash and
finding themselves stranded on a deserted tropical island without any adults. Initially
enjoying their newfound freedom, they elect Ralph as their leader democratically. Ralph,
along with Piggy, focuses on organizing the group, assigning tasks like building shelters to
themselves and hunting for food to Jack and his choirboys, who unexpectedly embrace their
role as hunters rather than spiritual followers. As tensions rise, particularly between Ralph
and Jack, symbolic conflicts emerge: Ralph prioritizes maintaining a signal fire for rescue,
while Jack becomes increasingly obsessed with hunting and asserting dominance. The boys'
descent into savagery is epitomized by Jack's transformation when wearing a mask, which
symbolizes liberation from societal constraints. The narrative escalates with Jack's violent
outburst towards Piggy after a missed rescue opportunity due to the extinguished signal fire.
This incident marks a pivotal moment where the boys' struggle to maintain civilized order
starts to unravel, revealing their growing inclination towards primal instincts and discord over
cooperation.

Both "Lord of the Flies" and "Heart of Darkness" share similar themes of civilization versus
savagery. They both suggest that every person harbors a "heart of darkness," an inherent
evil suppressed by civilized norms. When removed from society's constraints, this darkness
can emerge unchecked. In "Heart of Darkness," as Marlow travels up the Thames River, he
moves away from civilization and deeper into a realm devoid of societal morals, where
savagery prevails. Similarly, in "Lord of the Flies," the boys stranded on the island gradually
become more savage the longer they are isolated from civilization. Another similarity is seen
in the characters: both novels feature protagonists and antagonists with parallels. Each has
a character who succumbs to their "heart of darkness" and another who resists, striving to
maintain their morals and return to civilization. For instance, Kurtz in "Heart of Darkness"
embraces his dark impulses, abandoning his moral principles in the wilderness. Marlow,
however, maintains his values despite the journey away from civilization. In "Lord of the
Flies," Jack embodies the character who gives in to savagery, turning against his friends.
Ralph, in contrast, struggles against the darkness within himself and others, ultimately
realizing the extent of savagery around him, particularly in Jack, even as he faces his own
mortality.

Finally, Kurtz and Jack not only failed life's tests but also appeared to accept their situations.
The evil within all individuals can manifest in different ways—through actions taken or
actions not taken. Edmund Burke's quote, "Evil happens when good men do nothing,"
illustrates this concept (Encarta Quotations). Jack and his group's dark nature is confirmed
by their final actions, particularly the brutal murder of Piggy, which was unnecessary and
symbolic of their rejection of civilization and was done consciously, unlike the murder of
Simon. Their descent into savagery demonstrates a disregard for reason and reality, crucial
aspects of maintaining inner goodness.

Through laws, structure, and general order, goodness typically emerges as the desired
outcome. Conversely, a lack of civility leads to disorder, moral decline, and lawlessness,
allowing chaos to prevail. The deserted island in "Lord of the Flies" symbolizes this lack of
civility. Without parents, lawmakers, or guardians, the darkness within human nature
inevitably surfaces. When Piggy realizes this, he expresses fear, acknowledging the fact that
they are alone on the island without the presence of any adults. It's evident that the structure
of modern civilization is absent on the island. Ralph, who represents order in the story, tries
to establish civility but struggles. He insists, "We've got to have rules and obey them. After
all, we're not savages. We're English, and the English are the best at everything."

In "Lord of the Flies," one of the most striking and significant symbols is the pig's head,
known as the Lord of the Flies. Golding's vivid description of the slaughtered pig's head
impaled on a spear evokes a sense of horror and darkness. The Lord of the Flies symbolizes
the primal and inherent evil that exists within each individual. When Simon encounters the
head, he undergoes a hallucinatory experience where he imagines it speaking to him,
identifying itself as the "Beast." The head tells Simon that the real beast is not a physical
entity on the island but the darkness within each person, the capacity for violence and
savagery that lurks beneath civilized behavior. Ultimately, the Lord of the Flies symbolizes
the breakdown of societal norms and the descent into savagery, illustrating how easily
humanity can succumb to its darker impulses when removed from the constraints of
civilization. Simon's tragic death highlights the boys' descent into savagery and loss of
rationality.

In "Lord of the Flies," Golding shows how even innocent children can become savage when
there are no rules from society. Many readers and critics think the main idea of the book is
that humans are naturally evil and that there's little hope for humanity. However, Golding also
explores the conflict between good and evil. While the novel portrays the presence of evil in
human nature through characters like Jack and his savage followers, it also suggests that
goodness exists in people, seen in characters like Ralph, Piggy, and Simon. Piggy, despite
being part of the group that accidentally kills Simon, tries to justify it as a mistake caused by
fear. Conversely, early in the story, Jack struggles with the idea of killing a boar, showing a
hint of goodness despite later becoming more savage. These contrasts highlight the internal
struggle between good and evil within each character. Overall, Golding's novel examines
how both sides exist within human nature, portraying the complex interplay between
innocence and savagery when societal norms are absent. These children bring with them
the knowledge of good and evil from the society they grew up in, where good behavior is
rewarded and bad behavior is punished, shaping civilization. Away from societal rules, the
children lose their individual identities and engage in harmful actions as a group.

In "Lord of the Flies," the brutal climax unfolds with Roger's symbolic act of violence using a
large rock to kill Piggy. This event marks a significant turning point as the conch shell, a
symbol of order and civilization, shatters along with Piggy's life. The impact of the rock not
only physically destroys Piggy but also symbolically represents the collapse of reason and
moral order on the island.As Piggy's body is washed away by the sea, Ralph, shocked and
grieving, faces the aggression of Jack's tribe. Jack, now completely consumed by savagery
and power, launches a spear at Ralph, who narrowly escapes, which shows a note of
cannibalism. This violent confrontation solidifies Jack's dominance and Ralph's precarious
position as an outcast. Ralph, also finds himself abandoned by his former tribe members,
Sam and Eric, who have sided with Jack out of fear and coercion.This final sequence
underscores the complete breakdown of civilized behavior among the boys. Ralph, the last
vestige of rationality and morality, is hunted down like an animal, reflecting the tragic descent
into savagery that has engulfed the once-innocent boys stranded on the island.

Fear, in the novel, prompts creatures facing danger to either flee, fight, or hide, ensuring
their survival and enabling them to pass on this instinct to future generations. The main fear
gripping the boys on the island, which remains unspoken yet deeply felt, is the dread of
never being rescued. Despite their initial excitement about being free from adult authority,
this underlying fear haunts them. The importance of maintaining the signal fire for rescue is
emphasized, but only Piggy openly voices the fear that they could potentially remain
stranded there until they perish. When confronted with this grim possibility, Ralph avoids fully
acknowledging it. He insists that his father will come to rescue them, unable to confront the
reality of their situation or to admit his own fears.

Fear, in the novel, also triggers the innate human darkness, through the need of survival
instinct. This is seen in Jack, who skillfully manipulates the concept of the beast to
consolidate power over the boys. Finding himself in a new situation of crisis where children
can find themselves in a place of authority, Jack does not want to be at the bottom of the
hierarchical table. He uses the boys’ fear of the beast to justify his control and to incite them
to violence, portraying it as a common enemy and a reason for their cohesion as a tribe. By
establishing the skull as a religious totem, Jack fosters a cult-like mentality that drives the
boys away from rationality and civilization, pushing them deeper into primal instincts and
brutality.

The setting of "Lord of the Flies" introduces two symbolic elements that underscore the
decline of civility on the island. Firstly, the jungle, which occupies a significant portion of the
island, serves as an archetype often used in literature to symbolize death and decay. In the
novel, it is portrayed as the lair of the beast, symbolizing the inherent darkness within
humans that can dominate their lives.Secondly, at one end of the island, there is a "long scar
smashed into the jungle," likely caused by the crash of the plane carrying the boys (LOF,
p.1). Although Golding does not extensively describe the scar, the imagery of "broken
trunks" and "jagged edges" suggests significant destruction (LOF, p.1, 2). Symbolically, this
scar represents the devastation that humans are capable of causing, which parallels the
harm the boys inflict upon each other, culminating in the deaths of three boys before their
eventual rescue.

At the end when the British naval officer arrives on the scene, drawn by the smoke from the
fire, interrupts the chase and halts the boys' violent pursuit. Initially assuming the boys were
simply playing a game, the officer is shocked to learn of the two murders that have occurred
and the impending violence. Ralph, overwhelmed with relief at his rescue and grief over the
loss of his friend Piggy, breaks down in tears. His emotions mirror the sorrow and regret felt
by all the boys as they confront the consequences of their descent into savagery.This ending
symbolizes a return to civilization and order, albeit through an external adult authority.
Golding explicitly links Ralph's despair to two central themes of the novel: the loss of
innocence and the darkness within human nature, illustrating how even in the midst of
civilization, savage instincts can lurk.

CONCLUSION

"Lord of the Flies" by William Golding masterfully illustrates the inherent struggle between
civilization and savagery within human nature. Through the boys' descent into chaos on the
isolated island, Golding explores how societal norms can unravel when confronted with
primal instincts and fear. The novel's conclusion, with the arrival of the naval officer,
highlights the fragile balance between order and chaos, suggesting that while external
authority may restore civility, the darkness within each individual remains a persistent force
to be reckoned with.