Savagery And Civility In William Goulding's Lord Of The Flies
Man’s Struggle between Savagery and Civility
When you hear the word civility, you associate it with manners, and remember those moments when your parents nagged you about putting your napkin in your lap and saying “yes sir” and “yes ma’am”. These skills are not naturally known, they have been taught over the years throughout history. Take that all away, and what would you have? The answer is in William Goulding's Lord of the Flies, when a group of boys are stranded on an island with no rules-- or nagging parents. Over time, their previous comfortable life begins to disappear, and with that, this barbaric side is introduced, bringing chaos and destruction. Goulding’s novel addresses this theme through three characters; Ralph, Jack, and Piggy.
Ralph represents orderliness and tranquility. He is the one who brings the boys together. When they vote for a chief, they elect Ralph, as he is in possession of the conch who brought them together; "There was a stillness about Ralph as he sat that marked him out: there was his size, and attractive appearance; and most obscurely, yet most powerfully, there was the conch." (Goulding 22). The conch has given Ralph authority and sets him apart from the other boys. As the novel progresses, he finds himself at competition for power-- with Jack. When the boys are tempted to engage in his savage …show more content…
When the boys all assemble, Piggy is the only one who tries to make an effort to learn their names: ¨Piggy moved among the crowd, asking names and frowning to remember them. The children gave him the same simple obedience that they had given to the man with the megaphones”(Goulding 15). This quote relates him to a man with a megaphone, and in this way he symbolizes life back home. This means that when Piggy dies, all civilization is lost, along with the conch; "exploding into a thousand white fragments" (Goulding 209). Now, the boys are truly
When you hear the word civility, you associate it with manners, and remember those moments when your parents nagged you about putting your napkin in your lap and saying “yes sir” and “yes ma’am”. These skills are not naturally known, they have been taught over the years throughout history. Take that all away, and what would you have? The answer is in William Goulding's Lord of the Flies, when a group of boys are stranded on an island with no rules-- or nagging parents. Over time, their previous comfortable life begins to disappear, and with that, this barbaric side is introduced, bringing chaos and destruction. Goulding’s novel addresses this theme through three characters; Ralph, Jack, and Piggy.
Ralph represents orderliness and tranquility. He is the one who brings the boys together. When they vote for a chief, they elect Ralph, as he is in possession of the conch who brought them together; "There was a stillness about Ralph as he sat that marked him out: there was his size, and attractive appearance; and most obscurely, yet most powerfully, there was the conch." (Goulding 22). The conch has given Ralph authority and sets him apart from the other boys. As the novel progresses, he finds himself at competition for power-- with Jack. When the boys are tempted to engage in his savage …show more content…
When the boys all assemble, Piggy is the only one who tries to make an effort to learn their names: ¨Piggy moved among the crowd, asking names and frowning to remember them. The children gave him the same simple obedience that they had given to the man with the megaphones”(Goulding 15). This quote relates him to a man with a megaphone, and in this way he symbolizes life back home. This means that when Piggy dies, all civilization is lost, along with the conch; "exploding into a thousand white fragments" (Goulding 209). Now, the boys are truly