Mrs. Goodall Pre- Ap English B
3-26-15
Would You Choose Humanity Over Inhumanity?
The divergent powers in The Lord of the Flies by William Golding are shown through the symbols of the sow’s head and the conch which respectively demonstrate humanity’s urge towards savagery or to remain civil. Golding applies his theory by placing a group of young boys on an island by themselves. Throughout the story the symbols as well as the characters progress and expose their true meaning. Jack and his followers steer towards the savageness of humankind. Meanwhile, Ralph and his followers lean more toward the civilization of human kind. Jack’s powers are based on the sow’s head while Ralph’s powers are based upon the conch. The purpose of the powers are to control the ruling of two different lifestyles. The conch symbolizes law, authority, and order which also delineates civilization. The conch symbolizes the boys’ way to stay organized. It also demonstrates the understanding that they grew up being civil and have the knowledge that it is …show more content…
When Simon is hallucinating Lord of the Flies indicates: “ D’you? you’re not wanted...we are going to have fun on this island! So don’t try it on, my poor misguided boy or else-” ( 144). What Lord of the Flies means by “fun” is savage fun not civilized fun. Jack and his tribe have rituals, put on masks,dance around like savages, and reenact how they kill a sow. Darkness is taking over the island and the Lord of the Flies wants everyone to become a savage. The sow’s head is intentionally a “ Gift for the darkness” ( 124), as Jack and his tribe put the sow's head on a stick and left it out as a sacrifice for the beast. They assume that the beast will leave them alone if they offer gifts. This shows that the beast still holds power over Jack and his tribe and the sow’s head is their safety from the