Savagery vs. Civilization in Lord of the Flies

Introduction: Civilization and the Savage Within

William Golding's novel Lord of the Flies focuses on the theme of the civilized man versus the savage man. Golding explores the nature of humanity and how it can become corrupt through its own inclinations, drawing on his personal experience in World War II. During the war, Golding witnessed horrors that changed his opinion of human nature forever. He came to see that man is savage at heart and, left to his own desires, will choose himself and his needs over anything or anyone else. Golding uses the characters of young boys to emphasize the notion that the need for self-gratification is inbred within all humans and is more instinctive than anything else. Without some form of law or codes of conduct, man will turn savage before ever considering moral behavior. The implications of the novel insist that mankind must have order and some semblance of morality if it is to survive the savage beast that lives within.

Golding's War Experience and Its Influence

Lord of the Flies reflects the destructive attitude of war coupled with humanity's capacity to turn to evil with little or no provocation. Golding's service in World War II made an impression that would last a lifetime. After joining the Royal Navy in 1940, he spent time on a weapons-development program. Michael Prusse writes, "He was involved in the pursuit of the Bismarck and was deeply affected by the deaths and injuries he witnessed" (Prusse). The injustices he saw manifest in the characters of Lord of the Flies — seemingly innocent boys who resort to violent acts prompted by nothing but their humanity. As a result, war lies at the heart of the novel, even if it hums quietly in the background. War is present from the very beginning when we discover that the plane carrying the boys was shot down. While an actual war with tanks and bombs does not exist on the island, another one does — and this war may be more damaging to the human spirit than any other.

Golding writes about how the war affected him:

"It is bad enough to say that so many Jews were exterminated... But there were things done during that period from which I still have to avert my mind lest I should be physically sick. They were not done by the headhunters of New Guinea, or by some primitive tribe in the Amazon. They were done, skillfully, coldly, by educated men, doctors, lawyers, by men with a tradition of civilization behind them, to beings of their own kind..." (Golding, Hot Gates 86–87)

Here we see how Golding's personal experience and perspective weighed heavily on the development of the novel and its theme. His point is to emphasize that the most primitive people do not appear as evil as the more "refined" individuals. When left to our own devices, we think for ourselves and — more importantly — do for ourselves whatever we choose, and there is literally no logic to stop that from occurring once the mind is made up.

The Island as Allegory and the Collapse of Order

The truth of our humanity is demonstrated through young, innocent children who, we assume, have been raised within a civilized society and understand rules and order. Yet what little they learned is too quickly forgotten on an island with no limits and no authority. Chaos emerges when the boys decide to act on their own accord and in personal self-interest rather than for the group as a whole. When Ralph loses control of the collective group, Jack begins to assert a greater presence. Things deteriorate, and the true nature of humanity emerges as the boys split into factions and create conflict at every opportunity.

Attitudes and mindsets deteriorate over time. The boys become focused on proving their status within the group rather than on survival and rescue. Dickson observes that Golding is "defining ethical behavior" (Dickson 135). "The fall of Ralph's society," he states, is a manifestation of "collective human evil" (135). Nothing demonstrates the fragility of the human psyche more powerfully than seeing it broken in young children.

The war the boys face on the island is as powerful and as deadly as any other war. Dickson maintains that Golding's allegory combines the "best features of realistic and allegorical fiction" (Dickson 12). The island is the "appropriate stage for the survival story of the deserted boys, but it also suggests a universal, timeless backdrop for symbolic action" (12). Dickson is correct in his assessment that the story "dramatizes the real nature of all humans" (12–13). The boys' "nightmare world... parallels the destruction of the outside world through atomic warfare" (13). Interestingly, in the beginning of the story, the boys interpret the island as a Garden of Eden; however, as Dickson notes, the "setting is sinister and hostile" (13). Over time, the island becomes a "burning hell" (13). We learn that war not only rages on the outside but within as well.

In an interview with James Baker, Golding links the nature of man directly to the concept of original sin. He states:

"I've never been able to see how anybody can deny what stares us in the face — unless we control ourselves, we sin. Our nature is to want to grab something that belongs to somebody else, and we have either to be taught or teach ourselves that you've got to share, you can't grab the lot. And for God's sake, history is really no more than a chronicle of original sin." (Golding qtd. in Baker 134)

This sentiment is best expressed when the boys would rather turn on each other than work together as a unit, because they want to satisfy their basic instinct for power. Robert Merry agrees, stating, "Human nature contains plenty of goodness, but evil is forever lurking also in the human spirit" (Merry 156). An example of how the boys literally turn into savages appears when Ralph, alone on the island, considers Bill and how he has changed: "But really... this was not Bill. This was a savage whose image refused to blend with that ancient picture of a boy in shorts and shirt" (Golding, LOTF 263). The war we must most worry about is the one that causes our inner self to struggle against the greater good.

Conclusion: The Savage Lesson of Lord of the Flies

Lord of the Flies captures the heart of humanity — it is an ugly but brilliant journey into the laws of human nature. While we would like to think that we come from a society that is civil and reasonable, we must acknowledge on some deeper level that we would be no different from these boys if placed in the same predicament. That we are savages at heart is a bitter pill to swallow, but it is perhaps the knowledge of this fact that keeps us from becoming the savages who hunt, destroy, and kill. Golding places us in the hearts and minds of boys who are victims of their own humanity, and he leaves us with both a lesson and a warning that we should never forget. The saddest lesson of all is that civilized behavior must be taught and cultivated, while savage inclinations are woven into our very nature.

Works Cited

Baker, James. "An Interview with William Golding." Twentieth Century Literature. 28:2 (1982): 135.

Bufkin, F.C. "Lord of the Flies: An Analysis." The Georgia Review. GALE Resource Database. Retrieved February 16, 2009. http://galenet.galegroup.com

Dickson, L.L. The Modern Allegories of William Golding. Tampa: University Press of Florida, 1990.

Golding, William. "Fable." The Hot Gates. London: Faber, 1965.

Golding, William. The Lord of the Flies. Global Village Contemporary Classics E-Book.

Prusse, Michael. "Rites of Passages." Dictionary of Literary Biography. GALE Resource Database. Retrieved February 16, 2009. http://galenet.galegroup.com

Merry, Robert W. Sands of Empire. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2005.