Topic > Civilization versus savagery in the Lord of...

"Man has demonstrated that he is the master of everything except his own nature." This quote from Henry Miller proves that even the best people can be tempted and distorted by their nature. Like the symbolic pig's head stuck in the calm forest clearing, all beauty and innocence can be mutated when order is overthrown by impulsive actions. In William Golding's novel, Lord of the Flies, there is a central theme that demonstrates the deterioration of civilization and the overtaking of savagery, leading to the abandonment of moral thoughts and actions within a person. The beauty of the island is slowly burned away as the fiery demon of ferocity attempts to overwhelm the boys. The beauty of the island symbolizes the allure of law and morality that preserve order, while the pig's head represents the immoral and evil, as well as the product of unconsidered actions. Golding tries to convey that both ferocity and civilization exist in a person, and when ferocity emerges, it conquers civilization and brings out the inner impulses and animalistic qualities of a person, rather than logic and morality. Civilization drives order and keeps people in check with their needs. actions, while conscience is the sense of law existing internally, which makes a person aware without strengthening him of evil. The idea of ​​civilization exists in the novel solely through Ralph and Piggy, who hold their actions in the highest regard. Both civility and conscience are equally important in maintaining and maintaining order, which is why the pair of Ralph and Piggy work well together, as they remain mostly uncorrupted by the evil trait, savagery. The integrity of Ralph's ideas, in maintaining the island as a functioning city, demonstrates that his civilized thoughts... at the center of the card... moral direction and legitimate reason for leadership. When civilization is still intact at the beginning of the book, Jack and Ralph go hunting. A harder side of Ralph is shown, which can be wild, but he, unlike Jack, realizes his corrupt thoughts and sees the error of his ways. This shows hope for the future, that if some people in humanity can support people with good values, then civilization can progress to balance with savagery, instead of being overwhelmed by it. Throughout the novel, Golding conveys his idea about human nature by manipulating the plot of the book, making certain characters represent levels of "good" or "bad" that influence society. Its main theme that controls the story is that despite civilization's efforts, savagery overcomes it, just as the good people in society are overshadowed by the blunt and corrupt ones..