Savagery In Lord Of The Flies

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Toba Beta has stated in his book, Master of Stupidity that “[laws] are made not to be broken. They are made to curb our savagery.” (Goodreads Inc.). In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, a group of young British boys are stranded on a deserted island after their plane is shot down in the midst of a war. With no authority figures on the island, the boys have to establish a society and maintain law and order. However, as they soon discover, civilization is difficult to maintain without law and order. As a result, the boys go from civilized British boys to a group of barbarous savages. By examining the characters in the novel, they reveal that civilization is lost to savagery in the absence of law and order. Jack changes from a leader to a dictator…show more content…
Roger also changes from a choir boy who follows rules to a cruel psychopath. Therefore, in the absence of law and order, civilization is lost to savagery. Jack clearly represents the transformation from civility to savagery. When Jack arrives on the island, he is the leader of the choir boys. When Ralph establishes rules on the island, Jack obeys them. He is still controlled by the aspects of civilization. This is evident when he encounters a pig, and cannot kill it “because of the unbearable blood” (Golding 29). From Jack not being able to kill the pig, it shows that he still has some civility left in him. However, that is only due to the fact that Ralph’s rules on the island are still enforced and implemented. Not soon after, Jack becomes fixated on hunting and devotes himself…show more content…
When he arrives on the island he is a quiet choir boy. He follows the rules and listens to Jack. Although he may not be as civilized as the others, he cannot be considered a savage. When Roger follows a littlun named Henry, a thought of causing harm overcomes Roger. He throws stones at Henry, but “[there] [is] a space around Henry” “into which [Roger] dare not throw” (62). Roger is unable to throw the rock at Henry, he is still constrained by the rules and laws of a civilized society. However, this changes when Roger leaves Ralph’s tribe and join’s Jack’s tribe which lacks law and order. Since Jack’s tribe mainly participates in hunting, that is one of the first things that Roger does upon joining. He joins in on the hunt for the sow and it is at this point we see Roger’s savagery come to light. Roger sharpens a stick at both ends and slowly drives his spear “‘right up [the sow’s] ass’” torturing it more than killing it (149). The slaughter of the sow is far worse that any they had done before. The manner in which Roger slays the sow is inhumane and brutal. Killing the sow is somewhat savage, but torturing it and on top of that finding pleasure in doing so, that is beyond savage. Roger is far from civilized as he is no longer controlled by the laws on the island set by

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