Spiraling into Savagery Inside every human, there is civilization and there is savagery. The choices that are made by people show others what type of person they are. This is evident in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies as the civilized English boys make terrible choices which show others the savagery within them. As time progresses in the book, the boys begin to lose awareness for the events occurring around them. This loss of awareness shows how after each death occurs, the boys are descending into savagery. Then the number of boys increase for involvement of death. This increase shows how the boys are descending into savagery, as more than one individual is involved. Finally, there is a reason for killing. As each death or near death
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I tell you I don’t see him.’ The boys looked at each other fearfully, unbelievingly.” (Golding 46-47) Then when Simon dies, the boys are in the middle of their chant. It was moments later when Simon runs out of the forest, telling the others about the dead parachutist. Although, when he arrives, the boys, excluding Ralph, Piggy, Sam, and Eric, viciously attacked him and unfortunately end up killing him. After his death, it seems that none of the boys, except Piggy and Ralph, are aware of Simon’s death: “At last Ralph stopped. He was shivering. ‘Piggy.’ ‘Uh?’ ‘That was Simon.’ ‘You said that before.’ ‘Piggy?’ ‘Uh? ‘That was murder.’” (Golding 156) When the death of the boy with the mulberry birthmark happens, Piggy realizes that the boy is missing (“That little-un that had a mark on his face-where is-where is he know? I tell you I don’t see him”). Then when he alerts the others, it is shown how all the other boys had a reaction to him being missing (“The boys looked at each other fearfully, unbelievingly”). This reaction the boys have, shows how civilized they are in this point of the novel. However, when the death of Simon occurs, the exact opposite happens. The day after Simon’s murder, there is a conversation between Piggy and Ralph that shows how the two boys are the only ones aware of his death (“‘Piggy.’ ‘Uh?’ ‘That was Simon.’”). Then when the conversation continues, it is shown how shocked Ralph …show more content…
As each death or near death occurs, the boys have a reason behind each kill. Their reasons show their descent into savagery because as time went on, their reasons became more and more savage. When Simon died, the boys are in the middle of their chant. Simon had emerged out of the forest, trying to tell the savages about the parachutist. But when he arrived, the boys were so involved with their chant that they did not realize that it was Simon who had appeared: “A thing was crawling out of the forest. It became darkly, uncertainly. The shrill screaming that rose before the beast was like a pain.” (Golding 152) Then just before Piggy died, Roger was waiting by the lever, throwing stones at him: “Someone was throwing stones: Roger was dropping them, his one hand still on the lever.” (Golding 180) When Simon was killed, Jack and his tribe were unaware what had crawled out of the forest (“A thing was crawling out of the forest”). They did not know that is was Simon, hence why it says “A thing”, and not something else indicating that it is a boy. The tribe was clearly afraid of whatever came out of the forest (“It became darkly, uncertainly”). The boys were positive that what they saw and heard was the beast, not Simon (“The shrill screaming that rose before the beast”). They were obviously frightened by whatever crawled out of the forest, hence fighting back and killing “the beast”, despite it actually being Simon. For Piggy however, the
I tell you I don’t see him.’ The boys looked at each other fearfully, unbelievingly.” (Golding 46-47) Then when Simon dies, the boys are in the middle of their chant. It was moments later when Simon runs out of the forest, telling the others about the dead parachutist. Although, when he arrives, the boys, excluding Ralph, Piggy, Sam, and Eric, viciously attacked him and unfortunately end up killing him. After his death, it seems that none of the boys, except Piggy and Ralph, are aware of Simon’s death: “At last Ralph stopped. He was shivering. ‘Piggy.’ ‘Uh?’ ‘That was Simon.’ ‘You said that before.’ ‘Piggy?’ ‘Uh? ‘That was murder.’” (Golding 156) When the death of the boy with the mulberry birthmark happens, Piggy realizes that the boy is missing (“That little-un that had a mark on his face-where is-where is he know? I tell you I don’t see him”). Then when he alerts the others, it is shown how all the other boys had a reaction to him being missing (“The boys looked at each other fearfully, unbelievingly”). This reaction the boys have, shows how civilized they are in this point of the novel. However, when the death of Simon occurs, the exact opposite happens. The day after Simon’s murder, there is a conversation between Piggy and Ralph that shows how the two boys are the only ones aware of his death (“‘Piggy.’ ‘Uh?’ ‘That was Simon.’”). Then when the conversation continues, it is shown how shocked Ralph …show more content…
As each death or near death occurs, the boys have a reason behind each kill. Their reasons show their descent into savagery because as time went on, their reasons became more and more savage. When Simon died, the boys are in the middle of their chant. Simon had emerged out of the forest, trying to tell the savages about the parachutist. But when he arrived, the boys were so involved with their chant that they did not realize that it was Simon who had appeared: “A thing was crawling out of the forest. It became darkly, uncertainly. The shrill screaming that rose before the beast was like a pain.” (Golding 152) Then just before Piggy died, Roger was waiting by the lever, throwing stones at him: “Someone was throwing stones: Roger was dropping them, his one hand still on the lever.” (Golding 180) When Simon was killed, Jack and his tribe were unaware what had crawled out of the forest (“A thing was crawling out of the forest”). They did not know that is was Simon, hence why it says “A thing”, and not something else indicating that it is a boy. The tribe was clearly afraid of whatever came out of the forest (“It became darkly, uncertainly”). The boys were positive that what they saw and heard was the beast, not Simon (“The shrill screaming that rose before the beast”). They were obviously frightened by whatever crawled out of the forest, hence fighting back and killing “the beast”, despite it actually being Simon. For Piggy however, the