Without civilization, there is no law and order. That is one of the main themes in William Golding's 1954 novel Lord of the Flies. The expression of Golding's unorthodox and complex views are embodied in the many varied characters in the novel. One of Golding's unorthodox views is that only one thing keeps people from reverting back to a primal state of consciousness and action, and that thing is society. Golding shows the reader the extreme situations of what could possibly happen in a society composed of people taken from a structured society then put into a structureless society in the blink of an eye. Golding is also a master of contrasting characterization. This can be seen in the characters of Jack, the savage, Simon, the savior, and Piggy, the one with all the ideas.
             Arguably, the most savage person on the island is Jack Merridew. The first image of Jack and his group is presented as "something dark" and a "creature" before Golding goes on to explain "the creature was a party of boys." Ironically, that is exactly what happens – the beast turns out to be the people on the island. As the novel progresses, Jack becomes more domineering and assertive, slowly loosing all of his former morals and civility. He ends up as the other authority figure on the island by force and by exploiting the other boys needs for savagery that have arisen since their accendiental exile from society. The boys need for savagery arises because of Golding's views of humans as being vicious by nature.
             Simon, on the other hand, is not wild at all. Simon is the quiet one; the thinker. He is the only one that can keep good and evil straight throughout the entire novel. Simon stays to himself until he is needed or feels that he can contribute something to the group. A reason for his seclusion may be because he has epilepsy, "In Simon's right temple, a pulse began to beat on the brain," and he does not want the other boys to know about the problems. I
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