Theme Of Savagery In Lord Of The Flies

What does it feel like to lose humanity, to face an ever present conflict between the roles of civilization, and the urges that lead us to savagery? While many average Americans may be oblivious to this struggle, several characters in Lord of the Flies by William Golding represent this struggle. Characters can be seen giving into the impulse to shirk humanity as they act like savage hunters, constantly fighting for control, and committing great crimes against each other. First of all, many of the boys acting like savage hunters. Savagery, as defined in the dictionary is the “Condition of being primitive or uncivilized.” (American English Dictionary). This can be seen throughout the book, starting out with Jack. “He made one cheek and one
Throughout this time, we see the boys acting as savages, or “being primitive or uncivilized.” The days of playing and innocence are over, as the island slowly gets corrupted by Jacks savagery. One of the first crimes that took place in Lord of the Flies is when the group of boys kills Simon. Everyone was so focused on the Hunters reenacting the pig hunt that they didn’t notice a dark shadow until it was close to them. Being in a crazed frenzy, Simon was not recognized, and killed as if he were the beast. “The sticks fell and the mouth of the new circle crunched and screamed. The beast was on its knees in the center, its arms folded over its face. It was crying out against the abominable noise something about a body on the hill. The beast struggled forward, broke the ring and fell over the steep edge of the rock to the sand by the water. At once the crowd surged after it, poured down the rock, leapt on to the beast, screamed, struck, bit, tore. There were no words, and no movements but the tearing of teeth and claws.” (Golding,152-153) Multiple arguments could be made in defense of the group, but it was a spur of the moment action. The vast majority of the boys were most likely scared out of their wits, thinking that the beast was coming to get them. The next unforgettable crime was Piggy’s death, or murder. In events leading up to Piggy’s demise, Jack’s tribe ambushes Piggy in order to steal his ‘specs.’ “ ’I got the conch. I’m going to that Jack Merridew an’ tell him I am.’ “ (Golding 171) But what none of the boys realized is that in confronting Jack, something far worse could occur. Piggy was a brave soul to have stood up for what he believed, but surely he did not expect to die that way. Piggy was murdered gruesomely; hit off of a cliff with a boulder. What could cause a child to become so savage that he murdered his fellow peers? Although it was a horrible