Lord Of The Flies Civilization Vs Civilization Essay

In Lord of the Flies, William Golding conveys how one’s environment and community ultimately influence, and even oppress individual identity. Civilization, while refined and rational, can be quite fragile. Since the boys landed on the island, the isolation has been able to bring out the beast within most as they struggle for survival and struggle to build a functioning society. In essence, civilization suppresses the unrestrained desire prevalent in savages; however, as civilization and rationality deteriorates what controls the beast? Fundamentally, the “breaking of the conch and the deaths of Piggy and Simon lay over the island like a vapor”(184) because despite symbolically breaking the rules and laws, both the destructing of the conch and the
The boys are reminded of civilization because the adult symbolizes the rules and order associated with civility. Although the reality of the rescue tames the beast within the individuals, the boys struggle to recall their previous identities. One of the boys goes up to the officers and says “I’m, I’m– but there was no more to come [because] Percival Wemys Madison sought in his head for an incantation that had faded clean away” (201). Regardless of being individuals, the boys lose their individuality by following the rest of the community, by following Jack, because they not only give into mob mentality, but also give into the innate darkness within themselves. The isolation allows the individuals to be stripped of their previous identities, while the leadership of Jack provides the opportunity to destroy their personal identity, which is evident as Percival Wemys Madison is unable to recall his name–a marker of his individual identity. When Simon and Piggy die, when Jack becomes leader, when society turns to savagery, then logic truly crumbles and the beast within the individuals–with its unconscious, instinctual nature–is unleashed throughout the