H.G. Wells and William Golding diversely explore the struggle between civilisation and savagery in an isolated setting, through their novels: The Island of Doctor Moreau and Lord of the Flies. Both texts feature an untainted island location, where characters' morality and humanity is challenged by fear and lack of order. Wells emphasises through vivid imagery and characterisation, the qualities of humanity that exist outside of the physical body, and employing rhetorical questions and biblical allusions, plays with class expectations and distinctions in his theoretical world. Contrastingly, Golding employs characterisation and metaphorical imagery, to present a rapid process of devolution from boys to beastly savages and utilises powerful symbols and biblical allusions, to reinforce a loss of humanity and lack of civilisation. In both texts, the impact of these environments upon the individual demonstrates the fight to retain morality in a corrupt regime, where characters are forced to channel their inner beast to survive.
Employing powerful setting, Wells and Golding position their characters within anarchic microcosms that expose the true nature of human and animal. In both texts, a civilised societal structure is formed to achieve power on the uncivilised island, though, where Golding’s setting imposes animalistic qualities on the humans resulting in a rapid process of "devolution," Wells contrastingly presents an eventual society of extreme order. This is suggested through his characterisation of God-figural Moreau, as his desire for power and control has resulted in the "Law," which serves as a structure to govern his animal experimentations on the island. Similarly, in Lord of the Flies, Golding's characterisation of the boys desiring their home's safe, civilised society is shown