Savagery In Lord Of The Flies By William Golding

Since the beginning of civilization, humans have pondered about, debated, and eventually solved a plethora of disputes, from the shape of the planet to the history of mankind. However, one fundamental question still remains ambivalent. The contention over human nature has drawn in many differing views from philosophers and scholars throughout history; among these is William Golding. In his novel Lord of the Flies, Golding writes about a group of schoolboys who are stranded on an uninhabited island in the midst of a world war. At first, the boys attempt to recreate society by establishing law and order, but over time, their civil values diminish as they turn to savagery and evil. Ultimately, through writing Lord of the Flies, Golding conveys …show more content…
The three boys had spotted a pig caught in the creepers, an easy picking for a kill, but even though Jack had pulled out his knife and held the knife over the pig, he couldn’t make the downward stroke to kill it. Golding mentions, “Jack drew his knife again with a flourish. He raised his arm in the air. There came a pause, a hiatus, the pig continued to scream and the creepers to jerk, and the blade continued to flash at the end of a bony arm” (Golding 31). Because of Jack’s pause, the pig managed to get away alive. Nonetheless, the longer time he was on the island, the more evil that emerged out from him, due to disconnection from society. Not only did he become obsessed with killing a pig, but he also started ignoring and breaking the rules set by Ralph more and more, until he seemed to have enough and created his own tribe. Afterwards, Jack and the hunters went into the forest to hunt another pig. They found a sow taking care of her piglets under the shade of the trees, and Jack signaled for the group to target the sow. While the sow tried to run away, the hunters continuously hurled spears at her, further injuring her as she ran through …show more content…
When two of the older boys, Roger and Maurice, came out of the forest for a swim, they saw three littluns, Henry, Johnny, and Percival, building an elegant sandcastle on the beach. Prompted by evil, Roger and Maurice kicked the sandcastle apart, burying the treasures and seashells that were used to decorate the castle, and Maurice kicked sand into Percival’s eyes. Immediately afterwards, however, Maurice felt guilty for committing such an evil act because when he was still connected to society, his mother had scolded him for getting sand into another younger boy’s eyes. Golding suggests, “Now, though there was no parent to let fall a heavy hand, Maurice still felt the unease of wrongdoing” (Golding ). Remembering what society had taught him, he hurried away in a trot, realizing that what he just did was unacceptable in society. Meanwhile, Roger was watching from a distance as Henry walked along the beach. He began throwing stones at Henry, but he aimed purposely to miss, because “there was a space round Henry, perhaps six yards in diameter, into which he dare not throw. Here, invisible yet strong, was the taboo of the old life. Round the squatting child was the protection of parents and school and policemen and the law” (Golding ). Roger, similarly to Maurice, recalled the teachings of society, and understood that throwing stones at another person would never be considered acceptable in society. Through