Lord of the Flies

Golding’s novel ‘Lord of the Flies’ explores the human instincts of civilisation vs. savagery, implying to the reader that there is no hope for the recovery from our need to abolish all that is good within us.

Stranded on a tropical island, a group of British schoolboys are left to survive on their own, without any adults. On arrival, the boys relish their independence, relaxing and investigating the island. However, the group soon splits into two categories: those who try to maintain the discipline and order that they learnt from society, and those who prefer to surrender to every savage instinct and impulse, despite its brutality.

The implausible protagonists are Ralph and his companion, Piggy. With no adults to help them survive, the boys soon realise that a leader must be chosen to ensure that they’re all safe and that no one acts wickedly towards any other boy. After a nomination, Ralph is elected as Chief due to his popularity among the other boys. We’re soon introduced to the other dominant figure of the novel, Jack, who is revealed to be the antagonist of the story. Ralph and Jack grow to detest each other as their time on the island passes; Jack is determined to have ultimate power over Ralph and the others. What the boys’ chiefly thought would be a peaceful getaway from any adults rapidly changes into something rather menacing and ruthless.

There are two dominant themes that run throughout the novel that clearly express the savage instincts of humans: loss of innocence and civilization vs savagery. At the start of the novel, the boys are well-behaved and civilized, yearning to be rescued by the adults that they’re dependent on. However, at the end of the novel the boys have transformed into brutal, savage hunters that have no wish to return to their civilized state of mind; therefore they have lost all innocence that they possessed at the beginning of the novel. However, Golding does this to depict the loss of innocence that happens to the children; moreover this loss occurs naturally from their increased exposure to the instinctive evil and savagery that has always lived within them. The conflict between civilized thought and savage actions are central to the novel. This conflict is mostly demonstrated through the characters of Ralph and Jack who oppose each other and the authority they hold.

Golding is informing his audience, through subtle hints, that in order to survive the individual will do anything due to their primitive instincts that are hidden deep within them. This is portrayed as the actions of the boys turn from mistakes to barbaric and intentional plots to kill another in order to survive. Golding deals with a fundamental matter of humankind, leaving us to ponder on a question:

Is the individual naturally susceptible to evil?