Savagery and Civilization in Lord of the Flies

             "Lord of the Flies" gives us a clear difference between savagery and civilized society. Golding's theme of civilization and savagery mostly revolves around Jack's character and focuses on his responsibility for the fall of rational society into barbarianism and Ralph's battle for order. Golding establishes a deserted island with a conflict between two different thoughts of pre-civilized humanity and with no society, no rules, and no concerns except for personal survival; every man for themselves.
             Golding starts the novel by straight away showing a clear difference between savage and civilized. Ralph is playing on the beach naked and does not panic over the children's abandonment on the island. Nakedness is practiced in uncivilized cultures. On the other hand, according to Claire Rosenfield, it can also be a clear view of Eden which is understood as paradise. "The temptation is to regard the island on which the children are marooned as a kind of Eden" (2).
             But how does this Edenic paradise collapse? The first sign of trouble is when we see Jack and his marching choir. Jack and his choir seem strong and powerful, with Jack's style and his choir marching in sync with one another. The group is also the first civilization on the island even though being a downbeat one. With his dark cloak and red hair, Jack seems to have a bad and evil-sided impression. Jack is like a leader, he orders his choir as if they were troops. He does not allow room for either discussion or ideas. The first role he chooses for his choir is to be a hunter, which is violent and shows savagery. However, Jack is not yet used to violence, because he had trouble in killing a pig.
             "They knew very well why he hadn't: because of the enormity of the knife descending and cutting into living flesh; because of the unbearable blood" (29).
             Jack is not used to violence. Golding shows that Jack must get himself to do a violent act, he still backed of by his former society...

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Savagery and Civilization in Lord of the Flies. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 23:57, April 25, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/15397.html