Lord Of The Flies Savagery

It may have taken millions of years for humans to evolve enough to create the sprawling civilizations known today, but it only takes a few months for a group of civil, educated boys to regress back into savagery. In his novel Lord of the Flies, author William Golding depicts a group of young British boys getting stranded on a deserted island sans adults. The boys must look out for themselves, forming a basic governing system and trying to survive. But the challenge soon proves too much to handle, and order deteriorates. William Golding conveys the universal theme of civilization vs. savagery in his novel Lord of the Flies using the literary elements of plot, setting, and characterization.

In the book Lord of the flies by William Golding, around 15 boys between the ages of 9 to 12 were left stranded on a deserted island. As they navigate through the ways of survival, many of the boys find their cause to fall into savagery. Throughout Lord of the flies, Golding draws a fine line between savagery and civilization as the novel progresses. The author suggests that human nature has an inborn sense of savagery, and evil that lies within that is only controlled by the pull of civilization.

This begins to explain one of the main themes throughout the novel Lord of the Flies. For one to be uncivilized is to be barbaric and inhuman, without having a sense of culture and social development. When innocence or civilization is lost, levels of economic, social, technological, political, and cultural evolution differentiates from that of the normal, because ideas, values, institutions, and achievements of a particular society is changed. The boys in Lord of the Flies find themselves in a situation where their only option was to learn to grow up and learn to do it fast on their own. They have to learn how to survive and fend for themselves without the presence of any adult figures, and create a prosperous society for their own. They

When the boys first crash land on the island, Ralph and Piggy quickly try to bring order to the island while Jack shows he has other things in mind. The conch Piggy finds becomes a method of calling a meeting among the boys. At the first meeting, the boys’ conditioning from society shows when Ralph comes up with the idea that the boys “ought to have a chief to decide things” (Golding 18). Ralph knows that in the adult world, having a leader works. He is trying to mimic that with the group by electing someone to make the decisions. However, early on we see Jack acting in ways that would not be considered civilized. When he is out exploring with Ralph and

In the Lord of The Flies by William Golding, many actions of the characters display savagery and how the decline of civilization effects it. Even the strongest of civilizations will at one point collapse. This book holds perfect example of possibilities that could happen in the real world. Just a couple of children that are trapped on an island can turn to killing. Their simple rebellion turns into the destruction of their civilization, and their thoughts and fears turn into savagery. Simply, the boys action causes for their civilization to crumble and their thoughts turn into reality, due to multiple causes.

The idea of having an uninhabited island can be intriguing to young children—even some young adults—and it becomes especially enticing when there is no authority figure to watch over the island. While the idea is a dream for many, what would it truly be like to live in an island with no order? The allegorical novel, Lord of the Flies, explores the idea of savagery in civilization through the eyes of young boys. An island of paradise quickly becomes a nightmare as the savage nature of man is truly exposed. The novel is set during a time of war, adding more to the irony of the story. The influence of the war can easily be seen in the novel. Golding had fought in World War II, and the war distorted his image of man into a savage, primitive creature.

In the novel Lord of the Flies, it tells the story of a group of children going against the brutality of nature. Afraid of turning to savagery, the boys try to create a democracy for a more balanced life style. “ Let’s have a vote. Yes! Vote for a chief! Let’s vote.” Pg.22 I can argue that the main challenge that the boys face is savagery. Savagery led to many other factors such as; bloodlust, the need for power, and argument. Unfortunately, their plan to stay civilized is corrupted by Jack’s (Main Protagonist) need for power. “ I ought to be chief, said Jack with a simple arrogance…” I found that this was one of the main sources that led the boys to conflict. For example, when the boys formed a circle and performed a dance, followed

In Lord of the Flies, William Golding crafts a story of a group of ordinary British schoolboys that are stranded on an island in order to investigate how humans can return to their primal state if they are left without order to bind them. Left without the leadership and guidance of their parents, they attempt to mimic the ordered and civilized society that they had come from, but slowly, they succumb to their primitive desires and impulses, leading them descend into savagery. Throughout this elaborate work, Golding forges a political allegory that demonstrates how the defects in human nature contribute to the downfall of a democracy and allow people to be lured into a totalitarian regime or anarchy.

Mary Shelley once said in her novel Frankenstein, "No man chooses evil because it is evil; he only mistakes it for happiness, the good he seeks.", this describes how savage choices may not seem savage when they are made. In Lord of the flies, by William Golding, the main characters start off civilly immediately after they crash on a deserted island, then become savage slowly, then all at once when there are no rules to govern right and wrong. William Golding uses the change in the boy's hair to show that savagery overcomes civility when people are influenced by a lengthy period of time without structure. Throughout Lord of the Flies the boys appearances are more important when they act civilly than when they turn to savagery.

Golding believes is human nature and descending into savagery. This is clear through the chaos surrounding the island that follows not too far behind that of the adult world. On the island morals are quickly forgotten, dehumanizing those who have not held on to the last trace of humanity. Man turns to its primitive self and becomes lost in evil. Those who have held on to civilization are struggling to defeat this evil that is quickly spreading. This evil that is in human nature is visible within all boys on the island, however it is most prevalent through Jack, Roger, and the Lord of the flies himself.

In Lord of the Flies, Golding writes about the constant struggle between civilization and savagery. Today’s society can easily hide these destructive tendencies, but the stranded boys on the island are easily overcome by the desire for control, power, and immaturity. They lack the parental authority and laws needed to remain civilized. At first, the stranded boys had a grasp of civilization by making rules and have a conch which provided order and control. However as time went on, they questioned their leader.

The boys start out on the island as ordinary, civilized, young men, and transform into accidental killers. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, a group of twelve year old boys, marooned on a desert island, slowly deteriorate into what can be classified as savages. Power is abused, starting from the way only the older boys have it to the way Jack uses his power for his personal ambitions. Their fragile society does not stay a society for long, and it soon descends into chaos , with everyone fighting each other. The regress from a group of boys with some sort of society to total anarchy is caused by the fight over control, loss of identity, and the lack of rules.

As individuals in an organized society it is expected to follow rules and behave a certain way. However, when one is forced and placed into a situation to survive they will risk anything to remain alive. In William Golding’s Lord Of The Flies, the boys leave behind the world that they once knew. They fail to sustain a proper community and savagery becomes inevitable. Irresponsible authority, fear of the beast and desire for power on the island has revealed the true sickness of human nature.

When left to one’s own devices, fun seems like a great choice. However, if fun becomes priority rather than a privilege, important work goes undone. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, this situation is all too real for a group of young boys who become stranded on a remote island with no idea of when they will be rescued. Initially, two leaders appeared, Ralph and Jack. While Ralph does his best to organize the group in order to accomplish the necessary tasks to increase their chances of being rescued, Jack gradually becomes a savage, caring mostly about hunting and doing as he pleases. As time passes, the two leaders split, dividing the boys into a savage group and civilized group. The conflicts of the two

In the novel Lord of the Flies William Golding gives into human behavior. The novel tells a story of a group of boys during a world war that get stuck on a disserted island by themselves and no adults that would guide. Throughout the book, these boys show true human nature. They are human beings put in a place where there are no rules or people set in place. Golding portrays that human without the pressure of society, takes people away from common sense and turns them into savages.