Lord Of The Flies Decay Analysis

Decay in the Novel The Lord of the Flies Decay is an element of life that is inevitably experienced throughout one’s day-to-day life. Something as simple as the wilting of flowers in a garden represents the idea of decay. In William Golding’s novel, The Lord of the Flies, there are several different forms of decay that are incorporated into the story. The fall of the boys’ unstable political system, the physical decomposition of the boys’ cleanliness, along with the destruction of the island, shows the beginning of the downward direction that the boy’s loosely held society is crumbling towards. The decreasing respect for social standards within the island also contributes to the social fragmentation that the boys experience while on the island. The recurring theme of decay in the novel The Lord of the Flies manifests itself physically, politically, and socially throughout the book. This is significant to the development of the story because the theme of decay represents the fact that the boys are straying further away from their previous civilized lives and values. The physical decline of the boys’ …show more content…
Decay is presented in the novel in various ways; the destruction of the boys’ environment and the unkemptness of the boys’ appearances are all visible forms of this theme, whereas the blatant disregard for basic human values and the fall of democracy exhibits the idea of decay in non-physical ways. Golding is trying to show that civilized behaviour is merely something that is learned. When there are no restrictions on human behaviour, the idea of civilization begins to fade and humankind’s ultimate evil shows. Society must not lose its culture or else the world would lead to corruption and chaos. If humanity focuses on not losing their morals and values then the society will not decay as horribly as it did in the novel The Lord of the