In his novel Lord of the Flies, William Golding utilizes multiple symbols to compare the struggles of the stranded British schoolboys to many prevalent figures in modern day society. These symbols represent not only the loss of morals in politics, but also the cruelty to minorities perpetrated by more powerful groups in society today. One of these symbols is the life of the pigs on the island. Golding uses the lives of the pigs to symbolize the fleeting humanity and civility of the boys, similar to the lack of morals of people given authority and power in society now. This loss of empathy results in the persecution of minorities, both in reality and fiction.
In the beginning of the story, all of the boys are aware of themselves and the people around them. None of them can fathom taking the life of a fellow castaway, in fact the idea never crosses their minds. This is shown when Jack attempts to kill a pig. Although he and the others crave meat, he can not bring himself to do it, because, although hungry, they aren't “savage”. Jack can consider killing another being, but he can't actually go through with it …show more content…
In a frenzy, every boy participates in the murder of Simon after he comes out of the forest, bearing news about the beast. Though everyone is involved, Piggy and Ralph pretend to have not joined in, as to preserve the thought that they are just and civilized. Conversely, the tribe boys feel no sympathy or remorse for what they'd done. After another fight, Roger pushes a boulder off of the mountain, claiming the life of Piggy. Again, the tribe does not feel bad, and even use his death to their advantage, as Jack yells “See? See? That's what you'll get! I mean that! There isn't a tribe for you anymore! The conch is gone-” (181). The savages do not care about the lives of others or their future selves, only impulse and immediate
In the beginning of the story, all of the boys are aware of themselves and the people around them. None of them can fathom taking the life of a fellow castaway, in fact the idea never crosses their minds. This is shown when Jack attempts to kill a pig. Although he and the others crave meat, he can not bring himself to do it, because, although hungry, they aren't “savage”. Jack can consider killing another being, but he can't actually go through with it …show more content…
In a frenzy, every boy participates in the murder of Simon after he comes out of the forest, bearing news about the beast. Though everyone is involved, Piggy and Ralph pretend to have not joined in, as to preserve the thought that they are just and civilized. Conversely, the tribe boys feel no sympathy or remorse for what they'd done. After another fight, Roger pushes a boulder off of the mountain, claiming the life of Piggy. Again, the tribe does not feel bad, and even use his death to their advantage, as Jack yells “See? See? That's what you'll get! I mean that! There isn't a tribe for you anymore! The conch is gone-” (181). The savages do not care about the lives of others or their future selves, only impulse and immediate