If a group of boys were left unsupervised on a deserted island, would they be expected to conform to general order and sophistication, or would they resort to impetuous and savage mayhem? That is the question William Golding leaves to the readers of his book, Lord of the Flies. The story begins when a plane crashes, leaving a group of boys on an island alone. The boys choose Ralph to lead them, and Ralph elects Jack as leader of the hunters. Ralph tries to civilize the boys in order to get off the island. Jack, on the other hand, longs for absolute power and does not care about leaving the island. Jack eventually dominates and leads the boys astray from Ralph. When a pair of twins, Sam and Eric, see an eerie shadow on the mountaintop, they think that it is some sort of beast. When the others learn about this "beast" on the island, they become frightened and that fear controls their minds. Soon, the boys are obsessed with killing this beast to show their strength. The boys' fears and insecurities trigger the activation of their wild side, and they become savages, bloodthirsty creatures that are not much different from animals. Savagery is an idea seen throughout the story as witnessed in the hunts, the deaths of Simon and Piggy, and the attempt to kill Ralph.
             The hunts are the first hints that there is savagery in the boys. Jack, the hunters' leader, shows the initial lust for blood with his tale of how he continued on the first hunt when the others stopped. He was still unsuccessful, but this shows that how uncivilized he could be if he is that desperate to kill. With the hunters' first kill, they prove to possess savage instincts as well. On their way back up to the mountain, the chant, "Kill the pig! Cut her throat! Spill her blood!" In addition to this, they neglect to keep the signal fire going. This angers Ralph because a plane had just flown overhead. Despite Ralph's angry reprimands, the hunters continue...