Savagery In Lord Of The Flies

Kia Shirazi
Academic Writing
Professor Aycock
6 November 2015
Savagery depicted in Lord of the Flies
William Golding. Lord of the Flies. Faber and Faber. September 17, 1954
In the novel Lord of the Flies, William Golding illustrates that there is an inner beast living in all people, and is merely masked by the confines of society. Young British boys go through a life-altering experience, in which they must adapt lifestyles for a chance of surviving. After the boy's plane gets shot down and crashes, they realize no adults have survived and that they are on their own. The boys have an election and decide on a leader to control the group. Throughout the novel, it is evident that evil is within all humans, although most hide that characteristic. …show more content…
He majored in English literature, and after graduating began working in the theatre profession. Eventually over time, he focused entirely on being an author. The Lord of the Flies is based on an ever-lasting impact that occurred for Golding in 1940, when he enlisted as a soldier in World War II. During his time with the English navy, he took part in rocket launching. He participated in the famous invasion of Normandy, where he gained a true sense of the brutal war atmosphere. After much reflecting post-war, Golding had acquired a new understanding of human behavior. He saw men who were good hearted become cruel and evil. Much of what he writes about in his novel reflects upon what happened to him and others during war, such as when the schoolboys are stranded once their plane is shot …show more content…
The schoolboys are portrayed as great kids and good hearted in the beginning, but eventually change roles and become animal-like, killing whatever is in their way. Friendships vanish as though they never occurred, and the atmosphere heads towards a free-for-all. The book achieves the goal of depicting how humans behave when there is no civilization since the island is deserted, and no governmental body to set rules. Golding uses the characters as symbols throughout the book which portray the evil and savagery, along with the civilized side of human life. Ralph represents the good in humans, and the one who wants to help and follow the rules set forth. Ralph has his counterpart Piggy, who is very unpopular but never acts in an evil way. Jack on the other hand represents what was taught to Golding in WWII, which is the evil and animal nature of humans due to society vanishing and their being no boundary. In war, one country or regime wants to show superiority over another, just as Jack decided to create his own clan and overtake

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