In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, young British boys are left stranded on an island, after their plane crashed. With no way of escape other than hoping that a passing ship will spy their smoke signal. At first, all is well but as the story progress, so does the boys descent into savagery. Ralph and Piggy try to rein back the boys let loose under Jack’s control. Although it may appear the boys are abandoned on an island, they also make a conscious decision to abandon civilization by committing savage acts and not taking responsibility for their actions. Civilization is a way of life of order and personal responsibility, epitomized by Ralph and Piggy. Civilization has not abandoned the boys; even on the island, there are signs
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As mentioned above, the boys start off civilized and know what is right and wrong. The shift to savagery starts with not taking responsibility for their actions, they never own up to their mistakes. When Robert is pretending to be the pig and gets hurt, they all try to make excuses. This can also be seen after the murder of Simon, only Ralph admits that it was murder. Another minor but important change is the hunters start painting their faces. This allows them to catch pigs, which is the first step into killing and savagery. Jack and Roger also realize how much they enjoy asserting their dominance over other living beings and causing pain. However, it consequently allows them to become something else, cease to be civilized British boys and become savages. They do not have to be responsible for their actions because the mask protects the wearer, “He was safe from shame or self-consciousness behind the mask”(140). Jack is not afraid to steal from and talk to Ralph’s group even after he was shamed when no one voted for him because of the mask. Another critical shift is when Jack denounce the rules at a meeting, exclaiming ““Bollocks to the rules! We’re strong—we hunt! If there’s a beast, we’ll hunt it down!”(91). This leads to all the boys, except Piggy and Ralph, dancing around, unable to be controlled. Due to this, the control that Ralph held over them shifts …show more content…
This is clear by Ralph and Piggy showing and telling the other boys what is the civilized way and guiding them. Ralph’s main goal is to keep and fire going and get rescued, trying to reach out to humanity and return to civilization. In contrast, Jack insists that hunting and feasts are more important. One example of Ralph acting civilized is when Jack breaks Piggy’s glasses. Ralph is more friendly with Piggy and tries to show Jack that he should not act harshly against Piggy. Also, when Jack starts to complain about rules, Ralph identifies why they are crucial, shouting that ““... the rules are the only thing we’ve got!”(91). The only remnant they have from civilization is the order, rules, and Ralph realizes that without rules they have nothing. Also, when Simon dies, they Ralph is the only one who acknowledges that Simon was murdered and that should have been prevented. Furthermore, when Ralph’s group goes to retrieve Piggy’s spectacles they try to clean up and look civilized. A stark contrast to the savage’s painted faces. Piggy thus holds the conch, at great risk to himself, to show the other group they should care about the conch and realize how important it is. Piggy even gives a speech, trying to guide the boys, “Piggy lifted the white, magic shell. ‘Which is better—to be a pack of painted Indians like you are, or to be sensible like Ralph is? … Which is
As mentioned above, the boys start off civilized and know what is right and wrong. The shift to savagery starts with not taking responsibility for their actions, they never own up to their mistakes. When Robert is pretending to be the pig and gets hurt, they all try to make excuses. This can also be seen after the murder of Simon, only Ralph admits that it was murder. Another minor but important change is the hunters start painting their faces. This allows them to catch pigs, which is the first step into killing and savagery. Jack and Roger also realize how much they enjoy asserting their dominance over other living beings and causing pain. However, it consequently allows them to become something else, cease to be civilized British boys and become savages. They do not have to be responsible for their actions because the mask protects the wearer, “He was safe from shame or self-consciousness behind the mask”(140). Jack is not afraid to steal from and talk to Ralph’s group even after he was shamed when no one voted for him because of the mask. Another critical shift is when Jack denounce the rules at a meeting, exclaiming ““Bollocks to the rules! We’re strong—we hunt! If there’s a beast, we’ll hunt it down!”(91). This leads to all the boys, except Piggy and Ralph, dancing around, unable to be controlled. Due to this, the control that Ralph held over them shifts …show more content…
This is clear by Ralph and Piggy showing and telling the other boys what is the civilized way and guiding them. Ralph’s main goal is to keep and fire going and get rescued, trying to reach out to humanity and return to civilization. In contrast, Jack insists that hunting and feasts are more important. One example of Ralph acting civilized is when Jack breaks Piggy’s glasses. Ralph is more friendly with Piggy and tries to show Jack that he should not act harshly against Piggy. Also, when Jack starts to complain about rules, Ralph identifies why they are crucial, shouting that ““... the rules are the only thing we’ve got!”(91). The only remnant they have from civilization is the order, rules, and Ralph realizes that without rules they have nothing. Also, when Simon dies, they Ralph is the only one who acknowledges that Simon was murdered and that should have been prevented. Furthermore, when Ralph’s group goes to retrieve Piggy’s spectacles they try to clean up and look civilized. A stark contrast to the savage’s painted faces. Piggy thus holds the conch, at great risk to himself, to show the other group they should care about the conch and realize how important it is. Piggy even gives a speech, trying to guide the boys, “Piggy lifted the white, magic shell. ‘Which is better—to be a pack of painted Indians like you are, or to be sensible like Ralph is? … Which is