The Lord Of The Flies: Bloodlust And Savagery

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The tribal customs upheld and celebrated by the hunters are an integral part of the novel, serving as a representation of the emergence of bloodlust and savagery as dominant social constructs. As the boys become accustomed to hunting, the premise of this survival tactic develops into ritual sacrifice, as they discover the sheer pleasure in killing. This is evident during Jack’s feast, when the boys begin to chant a rhythmic hymn while engaging in a tribal dance involving the littluns: “Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Spill her blood,” (75). Through the inclusion of all the boys in the dance, it is quite evident that everyone, even the innocent, are susceptible to bloodlust and savagery and that the very society in The Lord of the Flies is structured on the foundations of violence. …show more content…
In addition, this quotation shows that power is determined to be a dominant factor in the boys, and bloodlust is shown to strip away the bindings of innocence that constrain the human consciousness. Thus, Golding is vilifying society for its brutality, disguised by the lies of moral justification, civility and necessity for survival. Another tribal custom upheld by the boys is the establishment of the Lord of the Flies as tribute to the beast, exalting the notion of fear in society. The Lord of the Flies becomes both a physical manifestation of the beast - a symbol of the power of evil - and a Satanic figure who evokes the beast within each human being. As the novel progresses and the boys descend further into savagery, their belief in the beast heightens to a point where they sacrifice part of their kill as tribute: “This head is for the beast. It’s a gift,” (151). It is further stated that the “silence accepted the gift and awed them. The head remained there, dim-eyed, grinning faintly, blood blackening between the

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