Civilization and Savagery in Lord of the Flies

The war between civilization and savagery has been a conflict in the human mind since the beginning, but no work of literature illustrates this battle better than Lord of the Flies by William Golding. The novel is a beautifully and tragically written tale of the collapse of social order within a group of young British castaways. Golding continually challenges the reader’s perception of human psychology and moral code. As things fall to pieces, we are left to wonder why the attitudes of the boys become so evil, so quickly. As with many things, an explanation of the ultimate tragedy is best given by studying events of the past. The origin of the conflict is the natural evil in the psychology of the boys. “In each of [Golding’s] novels, there is the effort of bridgebuilding between the physical world which contemporary man accepts and the spiritual world which he ignores but which - in Goldin’s view- does not ignore him.” (Tiger 16) Golding was a believer in original sin, and the fall of man. (Bloom 57) The book as a whole is an exploration of the fall of man, or decay of social order. From losing sight of the first littlun, to the mob killing Simon, eventually giving way to the deliberate murder of Piggy. Everyone takes the pressure or savagery differently. Simon is considered to be on the ‘good’ side, Roger on the ‘bad’ side, and with Ralph and Jack being placed around the middle, Jack being more evil-minded than Ralph. The main conflict in the Lord of the Flies is not the beastie, or the pressing need to find a way to survive. Rather, it is the inherit evil of the boys. Golding is quoted as saying, “Man is a fallen being. He is gripped by original sin. His nature is sinful and his state perilous.” (Bloom 57) Golding was a firm believer in the concept that man is evil by nature. The notion that the only conflict was they themselves is first introduced by Simon. Amongst the arguing and speculating of who the beast is, Simon speaks up and says perhaps the most

Cited: Bloom, Harold. William Golding 's Lord of the Flies. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 2004. Print. Epstein, Edmund Lloyd. Biographical and Critical Note by E. L. Epstein. Capricorn Books: New York, 1959. Print. Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York: Penguin, 2003. Print. Martin, Stewart, and Steven Croft. Lord of the Flies. London: Letts and Lonsdale, 2004. Print. Tiger, Virginia. William Golding: The Dark Fields of Discovery. London: Calder & Boyars, 1974. Print. Ventura, Michael. "The True Roots of Littleton." Weekly Wire. Austin Chronicle, 1 Jan. 99.Web. 02 Dec. 2011. .