Elizabeth Calpey

Miss. Thames

English 2 Honors

10 February 2023

Lord of the Flies Essay

Have you ever had a desire to be evil but instead it suppresses itself with order.

Civilization is when a man chooses to be good and acts reasonably, acts peacefully with others,

and chooses to live by rules. Savagery is instead of living peacefully, a man chooses to live to

gain power over others and acts violently. Although the Lord of the Flies by William Golding

seems like an average group of boys trying to survive while they’re deserted on an island, it is

truly a deep novel morally based on the idea of civilization vs savagery. In the Lord of the Flies,

humanity’s true savage nature is covered by a mask of civility.

Savagery defined is the quality of being fierce or cruel. Savagery represents the evil of

choosing not to live by the rules and to not have peace with others, but instead, living to gain

power and have violent intentions. Living by rules and authority does not always guarantee

peace. Acting violently does not make someone a savage. Savagery represents the desire for

power. In the Lord of the Flies, Jack is symbolized as savagery because of his evilness and the

way he treats others in his group. ‘“You’re talking too much”, said Jack Merridew, “Shut up

fatty!”’ (Golding 17). “Ralph made a step forward and Jack smacked Piggy’s head. Piggy’s

glasses flew off and tinkled on the rocks. Piggy cried out in terror” (Golding 71). Jack has always

been a bully and thinks he is better than everyone else. In order to assert dominance, Jack

harasses others who are weaker than himself. Jack puts hunting and surviving first and by the

end of the novel, he’s lost all civilization and has become a complete savage. “Bollocks to the
rules! We’re strong—we hunt! If there’s a beast, we’ll hunt it down! We’ll close in and beat and

beat and beat—!” (Golding 91). “Jack planned his new face. He made one cheek and one

eye-socket white, then he rubbed red over the other half of his face and slashed a black bar of

charcoal across from right ear to left jaw. He looked in the pool for his reaction, but his breathing

troubled the mirror” (Golding 63). Jack painting his face to try to improve his hunting abilities

shows savagery. It shows him trying to be one with the wilderness and his primary focus being

hunting. He represents evil and violence, the dark side of human nature. “The writer clearly

shows that when human civilization suddenly disappeared, savagery will slowly leads human

acts. Human naturally tends to reflect savagery although living in a civilization world”

(uomustansiriyah.edu.iq). Civilization is sometimes seen as a mask to savagery. Our savagery is

hidden but when we lose all hope in civilization our evil side is released. Jack was primarily

focused on savagery while Ralph was more civilized and focused on bringing others together

orderly and more civilized.

Civilization shows order and leadership. It is the good inside of man to have peace with

others, act reasonably, choose to live by rules and under authority. Ralph is symbolized as

civilization in the Lord of the Flies. He always values the group, follows orders and rules, always

chooses peace, and mainly just wants good for the group. He has the ability to show

responsibility, courage, initiative, and determination on the island. He was elected chief at the

beginning of the novel because of his natural leadership skills. He is brave, a fair player, and has

a sense of justice and democracy. This alone shows and transforms him into a remarkable leader.

“The fire’s the most important thing. Without the fire we can’t be rescued. I’d like to put on

war-paint and be a savage. But we must keep the fire burning. (Golding 142). Ralph has hope in

being rescued and never loses that. He says how he desires to be a savage, but civilization keeps
him in check. Ralph is a natural leader and uses his resources to try and keep everyone in the

group in order and civilized. “We can use this to call the others. Have a meeting. They’ll come

when they hear us—“ (Golding 16). The conch is also another symbol of civilization. It

symbolizes civilization, adult rules and the democratic process. It gathered the boys together at

the start of the novel and it shows order. It also becomes a symbol of Ralph’s legitimacy as a

leader. “Civilization exists to suppress the beast and savagery arises when civilization stops

suppressing the beast: it’s the beast unleashed” (uomustansiriyah.edu.iq). Going back to the first

quote, Ralph desires to be a savage but the civilization that exists for him is suppressing the evil

or beast. Civilization causes order but can cover up the evil that is inside of us.

Civilization is a veil that through its rules and laws masks the evil within every

individual. In the Lord of the Flies, the boys try to keep a civilized group but instead their inner

beast is released. “Huxley uses the savage’s character to reinforce the dichotomy between

civilization and savagery as well as technology and nature: technological progress can eradicate

suffering but progress is achieved at the expense of humanity” (Jong 6). Cruelty and evil conceal

themselves behind the mask of polite civilization. When the mask is removed, the true savagery

is revealed. “What are you doing out here all alone? Aren’t you afraid of me?…There isn’t

anyone to help you. Only me. And I’m the Beast (Golding 139). Golding makes it clear that the

beast, the pig’s head, is a symbol of evil and savagery. Lord of the flies is another name for the

devil. Simon has hallucinations of the beast coming to life, he learns from these hallucinations

that the beast is someone that exists inside humans and it is not something that can be killed.

“He found himself understanding the wearisomeness of this life, where every path was an

improvisation and a considerable part of one’s waking life was spent watching one’s feet”

(Golding 76). This shows that there isn’t loss of hope in the idea of humanity and good. Not all
civilization and instead it is a metaphor and causes inspiration. “Come on! I’ll creep up and

stab—“ (Golding 64). The boys showed restraint and self control when they were debating

whether to kill the pig or not and hesitated to kill it at first. At the beginning of the novel, the

boys didn’t have much confidence and were more scared to venture out alone and be by

themselves. They would often go with other groups. Over time they slowly started to become

more and more comfortable with the island and becoming one with nature. This is a form of

savagery as over time they adapted and forgot what it was like to live in a normal society.

Civilization masks our attempt at evil doings.

Order and following the rules can help us restraint ourselves from evil. Civilization,

through its rules, laws, and order masks the evil and savagery inside us. In conclusion, the Lord

of the Flies is a deep novel that is morally based on the evil and cruelty of Jack who represents

savagery and Ralph, who represents civilization and how he tries to keep the boys in order and

not lose all hope of escaping the island.

 Works Cited

Civilization and Savagery in Lord of the Flies - Uomustansiriyah.edu.iq.

https://uomustansiriyah.edu.iq/media/lectures/8/8_2020_02_19!09_42_22_AM.pdf.

Intersect: The Stanford Journal of Science, Technology, and Society,

https://ojs.stanford.edu/ojs/index.php/intersect.

Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. Faber, 2022.