Lord of the flies" by William Golding is the story of shipwrecked schoolboys, fighting for survival on an uninhabited island. The heart of the story is the struggles between the two impulses to act civilised and behave peacefully against the urge to establish their supremacy in the cruel pecking order and to indulge their present cravings, even using violence to gain what they require. The conflict between these desires is the force behind all the character's actions. Throughout the book Golding associates a civil disposition with good and the nature of barbarism and savagery with evil.
"I'll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it, when he's speaking."
This displays their initial intent of behaving very civil to one another and keeping order. This is why a leader is chosen; to create order and a society based on survival. Ralph is the first to embrace the idea that they need a head, to lead them and to create a symbol of hope,
"Seems ... to me we ought to have a chief to decide things."
Ralph has an inclination to be polite and coherent, however while he does incorporate good intentions he ultimately fails when executing plans.
"We've got to have rules and obey them. After all, we're not savages. We're English, and the English are best at everything."
The English are thought to be one of the most civilised countries in the world, here Golding is describing how even the most respectable and ethical societies can be one step away from brutality.
In the earlier chapters of the book, Ralph is unable to comprehend why the others would succumb to such a vulgar, coarse demeanour and the primitive instinct of bloodlust.
"Things are breaking up. I don't understand why. We began well; we were happy. And then -- ...then people started getting frightened."
Although later in the novel Ralph comes to realise such savagery exists within everyone - including him. He does resist and fights with his conscience - should he join the other boys or stick with his own morals? He chose to not be led and his good conscience and character prevents him from being led down this dark path of depravity. When the group begins to precariously edge to savage and feral behaviour, Ralph's position within the group begins to descend, while Jack's ascends.
They grow impatient for rescue and begin to act aggressive, turning their focus onto "The beast" a monster they believe to be living on the island, one they must hunt down and kill, little do they know "The beast" is not something they can kill. This is not revealed until later in the novel and this builds to the climax, as the boys conduct plans to hunt the beast down. Unknowingly they do not realise that it is only a manifest of their fear.
Golding used the different strengths of will-power and desire to remain ethical to show the different levels of callousness in the characters. "Piggy" is a boy who is the closest thing to a friend Ralph has. His real name is never revealed, however it does tell of how because he wears glasses and is over-weight, he has earned this hateful nickname. He has no desire to fight and has no signs of becoming inhumane and bloodthirsty. He does not dispute any orders and is pleased Ralph is elected as their leader. Piggy displays very strong decorum qualities, never giving any reason for us to believe he will turn to the more primitive, barbarous tribe.
"How can you expect to be rescued if you don't put first things first and act proper?"
Showing how he chose to behave logically and think things through, supporting the decision to elect a leader.
Jack behaves in a hedonistic manner, more interested in just living the best they could on the island, enjoying their selves and to only worry about their selves, regardless of how it may affect others, rather than focusing on survival and staying civilised. Eventually Jack becomes very unreasonable, growing bitter and envious of Ralph's position of power and causes a division in the group, leading his own tribe of loyal choir boys. This issues a fight to break out and Jack displays very inhumane and fierce attributes, leading his tribe to the ultimate sin: murder.
The loss of innocence is an important aspect in the novel, as they become corrupt and lost in their own sinister deeds. The whole novel is about the loss of innocence within the boys, when they begin to kill one another, witnessing unnecessary savagery before their very eyes, caused because of them. A boy named Simon is the first to be murdered and this is only because he has the perception to realise what they have become; the beast within them all has been unleashed,
"There isn't anyone to help you. Only me. And I'm the Beast. . . . Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill! . . . You knew, didn't you? I'm part of you? Close, close, close! I'm the reason why it's no go? Why things are the way they are?"
This makes the "beast" seem even more devilish, as it speaks with the same bizarre tongue as the boys. Simon, startled by this revelation that the beast is nothing but a figment of their imaginations, created through trepidation and panic, hurries to convey this information, only to be set upon by the boys, their evil and wickedness boiling to the surface. They mistake him for the beast so, in their dread and chaotic state, they silence him, permanently.
One of the most noteworthy lines is Ralph's last realisation,
"Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart, and the fall through the air of a true, wise friend called Piggy."
This is after a naval officer discovers them, seemingly out of nowhere and Ralph conceives that he will now be safe. He now has time to reflect on the horrific experience, and finally begins to understand how he never acknowledged the true, legitimate friend which he had. And now he never will have the opportunity to set things right with the one person who was always with him and always accepted his decision. This is also when Ralph has the epiphany that nothing will ever be the same. He knows now that there is a malicious element in everybody's heart, including his own. He no longer has the child-like innocence he began with. The two themes are linked at this point, "the end of innocence" and "the darkness of man's heart." These insinuate that the malevolent influence within one's heart can bring about the end of naivety and innocence.
The book encourages the reader to think, it is very thought-provoking. It shows how what could be first described as paradise, can quickly dissolve into a living hell. It only takes one person to crack under the pressure of giving into their instincts and becoming sadistic, not being able to control the need to rise above others and affirm a position, which they feel will allow them to survive. Golding muses over the inherent evil present in humans and this is illustrated the different degrees to which the characters are affected. Some can resist, shown with Piggy and Ralph, who do not yield to the temptation. While Roger and Jack revel in it, taking pleasure through causing pain. This is why Golding's novel is regarded one of the best literary works; even now we do not truly understand this maleficent feeling set deep inside and his novel is one of the few who really explore the darkness, one which we will never indubitably understand.
By Shannon Pryde
Sources: SparkNotes. StudyGuides: Lord of the flies. Wikipedia.
