Essay about Lord of the Flies Civilization vs Savagery

The human mind is made of up two instincts that constantly have conflict: the instinct to live by society’s rules and the instinct to live by your own rules. Our civilized will has been to live morally by law and order, and our savage will has been to act out for our own selfish needs. We each choose to live by one or the other depending on how we feel is the correct way to live. In this allegorical novel, William Golding represents the transformation from civilization to savagery in the conflict between two of the main characters: Ralph who represents law and order and Jack who represents savagery and violence. Lord of the Flies has remained a very controversial novel to this day with its startling, brutal, and truthful picture of the†¦show more content†¦After several failed attempts, he finally accomplishes his goal, but with a price; he ruins the boys chances of being rescued by letting the signal fire go out and not taking it as seriously as he should. He continu ously claims that, â€Å"We can light the fire again† (58); his will to be rescued is waning slowly. Ralph addresses these issues with his group expecting them to be re-motivated, but the boys have surprisingly ignored him and resumed playing. Instead of caring about being rescued, the boys start caring more about hunting and doing an interpretive dance inspired by hunting pigs, including one time with Robert â€Å"†¦screaming and struggling with the strength of frenzy†(101). With progressing events, the boys are becoming more and more irresponsible, and their chance of going back to civilization is fading quickly. Soon, a deadly turn of events will ignite their carelessness into something more dangerous and completely unexpected. The downward spiral towards the boys’ strategy actually started in the beginning of the book. To hunt successfully, Jack decided to use clay and charcoal for camouflage against the pigs’ awareness; this later becomes a trend for his hunters especially when â€Å"the mask compelled them† to kill (53). A new and frightening advancement to the clay paint is the pig’s blood, which Smith 3 shows how increasingly comfortable Jack’s tribe is becoming with hunting and savagery. As soon as Jack creates his own tribe, heShow MoreRelatedLord of the Flies - Civilization vs Savagery2896 Words   |  12 Pageswar, Golding resumed teaching and wrote his first novel, Lord of the Flies. Lord Of The Flies tells us the story of a handful of young schoolboys who had been marooned on an island as the plane that they were travelling, on to escape the war was shot down. The only survivors were the passengers, British schoolchildren between the ages of six and thirteen. It revolves around how the children cope without the structure of authority, civilization and the watchful eye of grown ups. Though the novel isRead MoreLord of the Flies Allegory: Civilization vs. Savagery Essay883 Words   |  4 PagesLord of the Flies Allegory: Civilization vs. Savagery Every human has a primal instinct lying within them. It is not a question of how close to the actual surface it dwells, but rather how well an individual controls and copes with it. In a state of prolonged anguish and panic, what is one truly capable of? Can one remain sophisticated or will the temptation of their dark subconscious take over, bringing out the barbarianism which exists in us all? William Golding’s Lord of the Flies exploresRead MoreLord Of The Flies Civilization Vs Savagery Analysis1209 Words   |  5 PagesCivilization as a whole is capable of savagery if they do not recognize their own flaws. In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, a group of British schoolboys are stuck on an island. In this World War II allegorical story, savagery is infectious and spreading quickly. The struggle of civilization versus savagery and the dream of rescue are the main focus of the boys. The author uses the way Ralph changes throughout the novel to illustrate how cl ose humans are to savagery if they do notRead MoreCivilization Vs. Savagery In William Goldings Lord Of The Flies925 Words   |  4 PagesSince the dawn of time, humans have been evolving their behavior and way of life. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, he puts a group of boys on an island with a choice. Stay civilized while following rules and attempting to be rescued or tap into their primal instincts and lose all sense of humanity and morality. The theme of civilization versus savagery can be seen in the boys struggle to remain civil as demonstrated through Ralph and Jack’s conflict, Their growing fear for their safety, andRead MoreTheme Of Lord Of The Flies And The Guide Essay1407 Words   |  6 PagesMD. Moazzam Hossain ID NO. 133013040 ENG 302 The Novel-1 Submitted to: Ms Arifa Rahaman Date: 09.12.2015 Theme of ‘Lord of The Flies’ and ‘The Guide’ ‘Lord of the flies’(1954) and ‘The guide’(1958) are the two novels written by famous novelists William Golding and R.K. Narayan. ‘Lord of the Flies’ portrays the story of a group of British boys trapped on an abandoned island who try to administrate themselves with catastrophic results and On the other side, R.K. Narayan quite consciouslyRead MoreLord of the Flies by William Golding932 Words   |  4 Pages For this essay, I will be discussing two particular themes from a novel called Lord of the Flies by William Golding. Lord of the Flies was written in 1954 after World War II. Ruler of the Flies is a purposeful anecdote about something that many readers can’t really describe. Individuals cant choose precisely what. Its either about the inalienable underhanded of man, or mental battle, or religion, or personal inclination, or the creators emotions on war; however William Golding was in the NavyRead MoreThe Lord Of The Fl ies1468 Words   |  6 PagesThe Lord of the Flies tells the story of a group of English schoolboys marooned on a tropical island after their plane is shot down during a war. Though the novel is fictional, its exploration of the idea of human evil is at least partly based on Golding’s experience with the real-life violence and brutality of World War II. Free from the rules and structures of civilization and society, the boys on the island in Lord of the Flies descend into savagery. Golding’s experience in World War II had aRead MoreCivilization Versus Savagery in Goldings Lord of the Flies Essay807 Words   |  4 PagesThe novel â€Å"Lord of the Flies† was written by William Golding to demonstrate the problems of society and the sinful nature of man. Golding uses symbols, characters and objects to represent his main ideas and themes. The conch was used to call meetings but is also symbolic of the government structure and power. One of the main themes in the novel â€Å"Civilization vs. Savagery† is fought between two egos, Jack the Id who represents savagery and the desire for power and Ralph the Ego and protagonistRead MoreThe Beast That Burned Lord Of The Flies Analysis721 Words   |  3 PagesThe Beast that Burned In William Golding’s striking novel, Lord of the Flies, Golding explains human descent through the beast and the burning fire. The beast is a pressing topic that follows the boys throughout the novel. The boys attempt across the novel to discover what sort of the creature the beast is and destroy it. But what is the beast? Is it a terrible monster? No, the beast is the savagery that exists inside the boys. One of the first signs that Golding conveys that the beast lives insideRead MoreLord of the Flies- Evil948 Words   |  4 Pagesdefines it? Mr. Golding believes that evil is intrinsic to human beings; he shows some examples of evil in the Lord of the Flies, in a form called bullying. Bullying increases the bully’s self-confidence, while it lowers the victim’s, in this case Jack harass Piggy to increase his self-assurance. Humans have two desires that conflict with each other: to live by civilization and to live by savagery. The civilized impulse we have is to live peacefully, morally, and by rules and laws. The savage characteristic