Lord of the Flies: Civilization vs. Savagery - Essay Example

Lord of the Flies: Civilization vs. Savagery Power is a major theme in many aspects of social life. Who has the power often dictates the type of lifestyles that can be enjoyed by the rest of society. Power can be divided in many different ways that will determine the extent to which individuals have a say in how their lives are governed. Within the novel Lord of the Flies by Sir William Golding, there are four different types of power structures represented, all of which function to control the actions of the boys on the island to greater or lesser extent and each represented by a different boy with differing goals in their determination to seize power. Democratic power is represented by Ralph as he struggles to maintain some semblance of society on the island and attempts to provide for the welfare of all. Authoritarian power is shown through Jack, who is concerned primarily with himself and seizes power as a means of controlling others to do his bidding. Spiritual power is exercised by Simon who concerns himself with providing for the youngest and weakest members of the group and brute power, representing a complete absence of society, is finally reverted to when Jack and his tribe attempt to burn Ralph off of the island. By examining these characters and their approach and reaction to power, we can begin to understand the point Golding was attempting to make regarding the power struggles that were occurring in his own time. When the boys crash land on the island, they carry with them the social structures of their culture as they understand them, both from the school and from their home environments. “One could say that at that moment in time they were still highly civilized – they were all well socialized – and reasonably certain about who they were and what they were about – and acquainted with the rules of their civilization at home” (Teacher, 2002). Elected leader almost as soon as the boys arrive on the island, Ralph becomes the symbol for order and democracy. It is through Ralph’s efforts that they begin building the shelter they’re going to need and it is Ralph that begins trying to work out ways of calling for help. As he begins to work out a stable society on the island for the boys, he tells them, “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” (Golding, Ch. 2). He employs tools such as the conch shell to establish order – using this unusual shell to call assembly and to establish an organized means of communication among the various children. He who held the conch shell was given the right to speak unimpeded. Through this democratic approach to leadership, in which the primary concern was for the good of the all, Ralph is seen as a relatively effective leader, attempting to retain order and decency but alone was inadequate to the challenges the island presented. “Ralph … would treat the day’s decisions as though he were playing chess. The only trouble was that he would never be a very good chess player” (Golding, Ch. 7). Without the support of the other boys, who had been either converted, bullied or lacked the strength to stand up to Jack’s tribe, Ralph didn’t have the ability to halt the pull of the savage experienced by the other boys and eventually gives in to the bloodlust, participating in a boar hunt, the hunting dance and the killing of Simon. Jack is emblematic of the totalitarian leader as he struggles against the status quo of civilization and remains focused in on the need for meat and the importance of hunting. This character is stubborn and self-centered, certain that he belongs in the center of attention and in the position of command. He leads the choir, which is described in the first chapter as “marching approximately … with a hambone frill” indicating its militaristic tendencies and Jack’s unquestioned authority over it described as “The boy who controlled them … his cap badge was golden” (Golding, Ch. 1). While this depiction of him illustrates a boy who has tremendous potential for being a bully, Jack is under reasonable social constraints, content with being leader of the choir boys and comfortable within that role. This control is shown as Jack appoints himself and his choir as hunters but then is unable to bring himself to harm the first pig that he sees. However, as he works to define himself within the group and assert his authority over that of Ralph and the other boys who weren’t a part of the choir, Jack becomes increasingly more savage and increasingly willing to use force and violence as a means of achieving his own ends. “Jack desires power among all things and is furious when he loses the election for chief to Ralph. Jack gives in to bloodlust and savagery when he becomes obsessed with hunting and killing a pig to make up for his first failure” (JJ, 2006). By constantly working to undermine Ralph’s authority in every way he can, particularly by manipulating the boys’ fears upon the island and through the support of his strong-arm buddies led by Roger, he is eventually able to convert the boys to a primal state of civilization in which savagery and brutality the only rules of the day. Simon attempts to instill a bit of spiritual leadership into the society on the island. Rather than reverting to the primal savagery that Jack finds or attempting to cling to the urban civilized that Ralph tries to impose, Simon is seen to connect with his primal instincts in a way that places him on an entirely different spiritual plane from the rest of the boys (Gussin, 2007). His innate goodness is shown as he works to take care of the littluns because it is what he believes is the right thing to do, not because it is what society has told him he should do. Imagery in Chapter 3 presents him in a Christ-like light. “Then, amid the roar of bees in the afternoon sunlight, Simon found for the fruit they could not reach... passed them back down to the endless, outstretched hands” (Golding, Ch. 3) much like Jesus passing out the bread and the fishes. Simon’s power comes from his inherent goodness and the kindness he shows to others. His connection to the primal in this way also enables him to discover the danger of the Lord of the Flies. In one of his hallucinations, Simon envisions the sow’s head, the Lord of the Flies, speaking to him, “Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill. You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of you? Close, close, close!” (Golding, Ch. 9). Realizing that the beast is merely and alarmingly an inherent part of the individual, Simon goes on a spiritual quest to discover the true nature of the boys’ fear so as to help free them from it. Upon reaching the mountaintop where the beast is said to lair, he finds only a dead parachutist, something that cannot do them any harm. To free the boys of Jack’s control and the fear of the beast that has been instilled in them, Simon attempts to re-establish his connection with them. But before he is able to tell them what he’s learned, he is sacrificed to the bloodlust and terror of the boys. Finally, there is Roger, who represents the power of brute force to terrify and control. “Roger represents torture, pain, and cruelty. Roger is Jack’s most trusted tribe member and delights in the torment of others” (JJ, 2006). Although he is seen as shy and quiet when kept under the confining structures of civilized society, Roger quickly demonstrates his interest in pain and torture. His change can be seen as at the beginning of the novel, he begins tossing rocks at one of the other boys, purposely missing because of the aura of parental and institutional control that has protected weaker boys all his life. By the end of the novel, though, he has long since overcome this prohibition, having already led the attack on Piggy and never shirking to use pain to bring a boy in line. This is a terrifying concept for most of the boys and, as a result, Roger is held in even greater fear than Jack himself. Sam and Eric discuss him in terms that defy definition. “You don’t know Roger. He’s a terror.’ ‘And the chief – they’re both – ‘ … ‘terrors’ ‘Only Roger – ‘ “ (Golding, Ch. 8). While Jack leads the way to brutal savagery as opposed to Ralph’s civilized democracy, Roger is the first boy to kill an animal and the first to show willingness to attack a boy. Within Golding’s novel, the various types of power are demonstrated and characterized in particular characters. Ralph is the level-headed civilized example of democracy overwhelmed and overcome by the forces of brutality and primal urges. Simon represents the power of the spirit to see through the surface into the primal deeper meanings behind the world, enabling him to reach a higher plane even while allowing him to divest himself of the trappings of the outside world. Jack reverts to the primal in a different way, reaching back to the brutal dictatorship in which he is given all power and all respect. Nothing less will satisfy him. He gains this power partly because of his own insistence upon having it, but also thanks to the power and support of Roger, who illustrates the power of brute force. Works Cited Golding, William. The Lord of the Flies. New York: Perigree Books, 1954. Gussin, Lenore J. “Lord of the Flies.” Beacham’s Guide to Literature for Young Adults. Gale Group, 2007. December 4, 2007 JJ. “Lord of the Flies: Civilization and Inner Human Savagery.” Associated Content. (2006). December 4, 2007 Teacher Timesavers. “Introduction: The Lord of the Flies.” British Columbia, Canada: Teacher Timesavers, 2002. December 4, 2007 Read More