We’re English, and the English are best at everything.'” – William Golding, Lord of the Flies, Ch. On his right were most of the choir on his left the larger boys who had not known each other before…before him small children squatted in the grass.” – William Golding, Lord of the Flies, Ch. “Ralph sat on a fallen trunk, his left side to the sun. Due to Golding’s experiences in the 2nd world war, he witnessed what men and women could do to each other once law and order were thrown out the window. On one side there is Jack and the hunters and on the others side there is Ralph, Piggy and Simon. It is quite evident early on in the novel that they ‘tribe’ are made up of two groups. The Lord of the Flies represents the unification of the boys under Jack’s rule as motivated by fear of “outsiders”: the beast and those who refuse to accept Jack’s authority. At the same time, The Lord of the Flies, which is an offering to the mythical “beast” on the island, is increasingly invested with significance as a symbol of the dominance of savagery on the island, and of Jack’s authority over the other boys. Jack declares that the conch is meaningless as a symbol of authority and order, and its decline in importance signals the decline of civilization on the island. Yet, as the conflict between Ralph and Jack deepens, the conch shell loses symbolic importance. The conch shell is a powerful marker of democratic order on the island, confirming both Ralph’s leadership-determined by election-and the power of assembly among the boys. The rift between civilization and savagery is also communicated through the novel’s major symbols: the conch shell, which is associated with Ralph, and The Lord of the Flies, which is associated with Jack. Piggy, for instance, has no savage feelings, while Roger seems barely capable of comprehending the rules of civilization. As the novel progresses, Golding shows how different people feel the influences of the instincts of civilization and savagery to different degrees. When Jack assumes leadership of his own tribe, he demands the complete subservience of the other boys, who not only serve him but worship him as an idol. While Ralph uses his authority to establish rules, protect the good of the group, and enforce the moral and ethical codes of the English society the boys were raised in, Jack is interested in gaining power over the other boys to gratify his most primal impulses. The differing ideologies are expressed by each boy’s distinct attitudes towards authority. Throughout the novel, the conflict is dramatized by the clash between Ralph and Jack, who respectively represent civilization and savagery. This idea is one that exists in all human beings: It is the instinct to follow and live by rules, act peacefully and follow moral commands against the desire for violence, to gratify ones immediate desires and reign supreme over others. evil where civilization is good and savagery is evil. Savagery is displayed in Lord of the flies as good vs.
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