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Lord Of The Flies Savagery Analysis

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Savagery, morality, intelligence, cruelty, and civility; abstract ideas embodied by humans. Each individual is a unique mixture of traits. Through William Goldingś allegory novel, Lord of the Flies, one is presented with the pure interaction of these innate traits; the young british boy characters. After crash landing on an island the boys are concerned due to the lack of authority figures. The most attractive boy, Ralph, discovers a conch shell in the reef and uses it to call the other survivors; he is later elected chief. Eventually, the island's isolation begins to pick away at the boys sanity and the makeshift government begins to deteriorate. Once left to their own devices, the true nature of man shines through. Golding uses the young boys to illustrate the innate traits of man. Ralph symbolizes the civil aspect of society, and eventually contests Jack, a symbol of human savagery. His post alludes that social order requires afability to combat innate animality. When free from the influence of society, human weakness tempts one to brutality over amiability.

Jack´s innate savagery contrasts with Ralph's civility; they are foils of one and other. This relationship becomes more clear as sanity slips. The longer the boys remain on the island, the worse the leadership becomes. Eventually the island community is split between Jack and Ralph. Amidst the fighting Piggy asks the boys ¨Which is better, law and rescue or hunting and breaking things up?¨ (Golding, 12). Each has

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