What Is The Savagery In Lord Of The Flies

The inner savagery of man can be discharged under many circumstances. While the savagery is kept to a minimum with the current state of civilization, a flaw in the system is able to bring about the barbarity. The novel Lord of the Flies reflects on the ways in which savagery can be embraced within a person as shown in the character Jack. According to Lord of the Flies by William Golding, and the article “Leviathan” by Thomas Hobbes, man’s savagery can awaken through competition and selfishness, with their state of nature being capable of overpowering man’s senses and develop further following the loss of law and order. With all the competition and desires man faces, it naturally leads man to turn to savage manners. As Thomas Hobbes states in, “Leviathan,” “each man
tries to destroy or defeat the other in order to get what he needs to keep alive or enjoy his life.” The thought of man obstructing others for his own benefit shows the primitive factors within him. As revealed in Lord of the Flies, the character Jack had turned savage to be able to dethrone Ralph and become chief. Jack had formed a separate tribe by using the boys’ fear and a promise for hunts and fun to attempt and kill Ralph after he had lost his power as chief. With the competition for individual success, man has turned to savagery to attempt to resolve it all for the user. The savagery within man is also able to overpower his senses, such as sense of guilt. As Thomas Hobbes states in “Leviathan,” “When a peaceful society falls into civil war, we see what men are like outside.” Soldiers in war could have a hatred towards the enemy they face, which may lead some to become bloodthirsty and savage, unaware of the lives they change and number of people they kill. The battle is relatable to the first reason on competition, as the soldiers also aim to win and defeat the enemy within a war. When Ralph had struck a spear in a boar’s snout, he got carried away by his thrill of hunting and hadn’t realized what savageness he was participating in. “Ralph, carried away by a sudden thick excitement, grabbed Eric’s spear and jabbed at Robert with it,” in a small circle and chant, Ralph lost his senses within the chant, “Kill the pig! Cut his throat! Kill the pig! Bash him in!” Embarrassed by what he had done, “‘Just a game,’ said Ralph uneasily” While savage-like properties may not appear at first, they start to develop further through the loss of law and order.
The character Jack in Lord of the Flies had been civil and unable to kill a pig, “because of the enormity of the knife descending and cutting into living flesh; because of the unbearable blood,” however, later on in the story, Jack had brutally murdered a sow without a second thought. Also unfazed by the death of Piggy, he had ordered his tribe to hunt down Ralph to kill him. The character Roger also faces a development of his savage manner depicted when “[he] stooped, picked up a stone, aimed and threw it at Henry- threw it to miss.” The intent to miss implied how he still felt the consequences of the law and order back home if he were to hit Henry. Later on, when Piggy had confronted Jack’s tribe about the stolen fire and glasses, Roger pulled a lever, knowing a large rock were to roll down, to kill Piggy. The size of the rocks used in Roger’s attack could represent his development of savageness as well. When he had thrown to miss, he used a small stone, but when he killed Piggy, he used a giant rock. The development of their savageness was triggered by the loss of
authority. In conclusion, humans are born with savage-like properties that really show once society has fallen. Through competition, senses and law and order, savagery can surpass and overcome man as it did in Jack. Savagery is a state of nature which can make a civilized man, no different from any other animal.