Lord of the Flies Essay Example
Human, Savages, or Animals?
“What are we? Humans? Or animals? Or savages? What’s grown ups going to think?” (Golding 91). In Lord of the Flies, William Golding writes about a group of young schoolboys who are evacuating from the United Kingdom at the rise of the next World War. The boys have grown up in an organized society their entire lives with order and discipline. As the time they spend on the island grows larger, conflict between them also grows larger and the organized society becomes something of the past. Ralph, one of the oldest boys, is elected leader of the boys and sets the group’s rescue from the island as their main goal. Throughout the book the boys’ anxiety grows as their patience runs out, which causes conflicts to erupt between Ralph and his followers and a group, led by Jack Merridew. Jacks’ group of “savages” share the common interest in hunting, while Ralphs’ group understands the reality of the situation and persists to keep a signal fire running for the slim chance of rescue. Golding uses the characters within the book and how they change to show how society on the island disappears and the characters change from civilized to savage. Golding fills the book with these dynamic characters but also, uses a character named Piggy, a physically and mentally different character than all the others to explicate they’re change from civility to savageness. The longer the boys stay on the island the less clothes they have covering their bodies, they let their hair grow long and their bodies become dark and covered with dirt, however; Piggy remains clothed and does not undress as the others do. As each day passes and each boy becomes more naked, Piggy does not. Piggy is different then the others not only that he kept his clothes on but he is also physically different than the others because he was overweight. At the beginning of the story Ralph and Piggy are found alone on the beach together, both curious to if anyone
“What are we? Humans? Or animals? Or savages? What’s grown ups going to think?” (Golding 91). In Lord of the Flies, William Golding writes about a group of young schoolboys who are evacuating from the United Kingdom at the rise of the next World War. The boys have grown up in an organized society their entire lives with order and discipline. As the time they spend on the island grows larger, conflict between them also grows larger and the organized society becomes something of the past. Ralph, one of the oldest boys, is elected leader of the boys and sets the group’s rescue from the island as their main goal. Throughout the book the boys’ anxiety grows as their patience runs out, which causes conflicts to erupt between Ralph and his followers and a group, led by Jack Merridew. Jacks’ group of “savages” share the common interest in hunting, while Ralphs’ group understands the reality of the situation and persists to keep a signal fire running for the slim chance of rescue. Golding uses the characters within the book and how they change to show how society on the island disappears and the characters change from civilized to savage. Golding fills the book with these dynamic characters but also, uses a character named Piggy, a physically and mentally different character than all the others to explicate they’re change from civility to savageness. The longer the boys stay on the island the less clothes they have covering their bodies, they let their hair grow long and their bodies become dark and covered with dirt, however; Piggy remains clothed and does not undress as the others do. As each day passes and each boy becomes more naked, Piggy does not. Piggy is different then the others not only that he kept his clothes on but he is also physically different than the others because he was overweight. At the beginning of the story Ralph and Piggy are found alone on the beach together, both curious to if anyone