Lord of the Flies

William Golding’s Choice of Themes in Lord of the Flies In the fiction novel Lord of the Flies by the author William Golding, there are many themes. The two main and most important themes are Civilization vs. Savagery and Loss of Innocence. These two themes are shown throughout the length of the novel, and are an important part of the story. Civilization vs. Savagery is a struggle between the civilized world that the boys once knew, and the lawless dangerous savage island they have now been forced to adapt to. Towards the beginning of the novel, quite a few important characters and the finding of the conch are introduced. The conch helps them gather the lost and stranded children that are scattered across the island. It also is the sound and sign of when a meeting is starting. During the discussion between Piggy and Ralph, they find a conch and Piggy says “We can use this to call the others. Have a meeting. They’ll come when they hear us” (16). The conch represents Civilization vs. Savagery because early on, the children use the conch for gathering and meetings, as any civilized person would think of. But later on, the children are slowly making their cross to the savage world, and it is becoming less and less that they are shown struggling between how they were, and how they have become. The conch is shattered, Piggy was murdered, and Ralph is being hunted across the island like an animal. None of these things would even come across a civilized person’s mind, but the civil struggle from within is still shown, by how they do things, and how they react to things. The fire the boys make is also a very good example of Civilization vs. Savagery. William Golding uses a fire to express the unexpected consequences evil can bring to our lives. For example, when the officer arrives to rescue the boys, he comes up to Ralph and says, “We saw your smoke, what have you been doing? Having a war or something?” (234). The fire is the most immportant thing on the island. It is