How Does Lord Of The Flies Represent Civilization
“Civilization is like a thin layer of ice upon a deep ocean of chaos and darkness” (Werner Herzog).
Society is made up of people of many different origins and views, but no matter what, there is one thing they will always have in common; they’re human. There are times though, when communities are challenged to the brink of their morality. William Golding expresses this theme in his book Lord of the Flies. In this novel, a group of English boys are thrown into a whirlwind of independence and survival, while deciphering what is essential in their fight for life: remaining civil, or resorting to savagery.
Golding uses two of his main characters, Ralph and Jack, to symbolize a sense of civilness and savagery. Ralph represents civilization in the …show more content…
When the boys first awoke to an island of no adults nor authority, they were terrified. When Ralph took over though, he proved to the boys that they could survive. In return, they became more distant. The survivors believed that with someone else in charge, they could split off into smaller, subordinate groups and let their “chief” do the work. Doing so evolved into a sort of independence and caused the characters to resort back to isolation, but not in the same way. Instead of the loneliness scaring the boys and forcing them back together, it separated them and created a sense of self-interest. This not only led the boys away from Ralph’s democratic system, but ultimately sprouted interest within them when it came to Jack’s seemingly laid-back leadership style. While Ralph was forcing them to work and build houses], all Jack did was provide food and have parties. Jack’s type of leadership almost drew in Ralph as well, that is, until he watched a murder unfold right in front of his eyes. Simon, a boy who decided to go on a nature walk, which had quickly been turned into a nightmare, had dragged himself back to the survivors’ civilization to warn them of the “beast.” While attempting to do so, the dancing boys had been frightened by Simons crippled form crawling out from the forest and had literally tore his body to pieces with their bare
Society is made up of people of many different origins and views, but no matter what, there is one thing they will always have in common; they’re human. There are times though, when communities are challenged to the brink of their morality. William Golding expresses this theme in his book Lord of the Flies. In this novel, a group of English boys are thrown into a whirlwind of independence and survival, while deciphering what is essential in their fight for life: remaining civil, or resorting to savagery.
Golding uses two of his main characters, Ralph and Jack, to symbolize a sense of civilness and savagery. Ralph represents civilization in the …show more content…
When the boys first awoke to an island of no adults nor authority, they were terrified. When Ralph took over though, he proved to the boys that they could survive. In return, they became more distant. The survivors believed that with someone else in charge, they could split off into smaller, subordinate groups and let their “chief” do the work. Doing so evolved into a sort of independence and caused the characters to resort back to isolation, but not in the same way. Instead of the loneliness scaring the boys and forcing them back together, it separated them and created a sense of self-interest. This not only led the boys away from Ralph’s democratic system, but ultimately sprouted interest within them when it came to Jack’s seemingly laid-back leadership style. While Ralph was forcing them to work and build houses], all Jack did was provide food and have parties. Jack’s type of leadership almost drew in Ralph as well, that is, until he watched a murder unfold right in front of his eyes. Simon, a boy who decided to go on a nature walk, which had quickly been turned into a nightmare, had dragged himself back to the survivors’ civilization to warn them of the “beast.” While attempting to do so, the dancing boys had been frightened by Simons crippled form crawling out from the forest and had literally tore his body to pieces with their bare