Savagery In Lord Of The Flies, By William Golding

We may consider humans not born with savagery, however with one’s loss of presence in society we can truly see the evil residing in us. In Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, the decay of society over the course of the novel portrays that civilization is crucial to the survival of the human race because without it humans will shift back to their original primitive state.

Without authority figures to uphold law and order to follow, the boys become increasingly savage and incredibly animalistic. In chapter six, Jack and his hunters are eager to hunt down the beast after Sam and Eric claim to see it. Jack’s fervor for hunting wins out immediately as he is so excited at the prospect of killing the beast that he instantaneously abandons everything he is
doing and proceeds to scavenge the island for the beast.
Jack is slowly losing his ability of rational thought and instead of building shelters or tending the fire and overall being logical, he easily gives into his barbarous urges. Later on in chapter seven, Ralph and the others use Robert as the pig in their hunting game and get so caught up in the game that they almost kill Robert. Without order, the boys are now incapable of keeping it and easily get whisked away in the frenzy of bloodlust where they unintentionally may harm another group member. During the dancing and chanting of Jack’s tribe in chapter nine, the boys are so engrossed with their own dance that they mistake the shadowy figure of Simon for the beast. They proceed to attack Simon with their sticks and hurt him so violently, that they kill him. Possibly one of the most brutal acts of savagery in the novel, there were no repercussions for Simon’s death
making the boys feel no remorse for what they had inflicted upon the defenseless boy. This sheds light on the matter that since there were no ultimate consequences for Simon’s death, the boys are free to give into their primitive state. The boys need law and order to function like normal humans beings because without it, they will become savage and know nothing but intense bloodlust.

Loss of communication and connection to the outside world results in the boys feeling isolated, lonely and pushed to the brink of inhumanity. Ever since the crash of the plane on the island, there is no communication with the boys and the outside world. This is disheartening to the littluns who at this crucial moment need the reassurance of the people they trust such as their parents and close family to confirm to them that everything will be fine. Overtime, some boys break into tears and are unable to cope properly because they are so ravaged with their own sadness. The boys increased time on the island means that they eventually forget parts of their old life, for example the time they spent in school. When they lose connections to those complex institutions that taught them crucial information that is supposed to aid their life daily, they let fear and unsurity conquer them to the point where they act unreasonably. When their plane crashes on the island, the boys have no choice but to band together to form their own society so they can try to survive but is the eventual cause of the rift between Jack and Ralph’s tribe. Jack’s tribe enforces a brutal regime that murders one individual which proves that they need communication and people to connect to so that they don’t turn to their own devices, becoming absolutely mad and ruining themselves. In order to be a functioning member of society, the group on the island need communication with the outside world so that they don’t feel abandoned and isolated.

Civilization is their only mechanism of protection to shield the boys away from imminent danger.

Two tribes break off and form, one tribe following the guidelines of a toxic dictatorship that tortures others if they act defiant. Without civilization, the boys on the island descend into anarchy and complete destruction.

There is no one on the island to enforce positive behaviour so people’s actions such as Jack’s, become selfish like achieving power for his own personal gain. Jack no longer follows the rules of right or wrong, and simply does as he pleases, eliminating people one by one and hurting others brutally during his reign as a ruthless leader.

Over time, the boys stop listening to the main rules and become more careless of their duties like keeping the fire going, building shelters, collecting fresh drinking water, etc. There is no efficient government to overseer all activities and guidelines so the boys slowly lose control of themselves and deteriorate into near animalistic states, proving that they are dependent on civilization and without it, will quickly fall through the cracks of sanity. Civilization is the only thing protecting the boys from absolute savagery, destruction, and senseless violence.

We need law and order to behave, connection with the outside world to not let loneliness consume us, and civilization to protect us.

To conclude, humans are simply ballistic creatures at heart, who without a place in society, lose all rational thought and give into their inner demons.