ipl-logo

Are Humans Born Savages In Lord Of The Flies By William Golding

878 Words4 Pages

Are humans born savages? Yes, humans are born savages; and William Golding’s Lord of the Flies proves this. In Lord of the Flies, William Golding shows the kids’ return to their natural state of savagery as they drift further and further away from civilization. Civilization is just a facade and inside each and every human there is the basic instinct of survival, and that drives the savagery within. Everyone is capable of stabbing, shooting, or murdering someone, however, everyone has their own trigger… for some, it might be jealousy or envy and for some, it could be pure anger. Since humans are born savages everyone has an evil lying within, therefore when something happens that triggers that evil the human will resort to their natural sense of savagery because that is their nature and because civilization is just a concept that keeps us from showing our true selves.
From the moment a human is born, they are told how to talk, how to walk and how to act. The society humans live in constrict a human’s natural sense of savagery; however strip that away and put a human in a situation where the rules of civilization are absent then there will be nothing but pure chaos. In Lord of the Flies, the kids try very hard to stay civilized, however, it proved to be too difficult as their inner evil started to take over. The island was slowly becoming more and more chaotic because the rules of civilization didn’t exist on this island, therefore, it was all about “survival of the fittest”.

Show More
Related

  • Comparing Evil In Lord Of The Flies And A Long Way Gone

    901 Words  | 4 Pages

    Current situations affect the instinct for savage behavior. Phillip Zimbardo, author of The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil, claims, “Each of us, given certain uncontrolled circumstances, is capable of sadistic or abusive behavior. When faced with difficult situations, people are forced to adapt their behavior to the environment around them due to their survival instincts (The Lucifer). In Lord of the Flies, the situation on the island causes the boys to revert to savagery. Since they are left on a deserted island with no adults, the boys have to take matter into their own hands and find a way to survive.

    Read More

  • Civilization Vs Savagery In Lord Of The Flies Essay

    870 Words  | 4 Pages

    Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, is a novel that revolves around the concept of civilization versus savagery. The boys argue about points that eventually split the boys amongst themselves. These disputes come up multiple times over the course of the novel. One of which being the fight over the leader of the boys. Some believed the leader should be Jack while others believed it should be Ralph.

    Read More

  • Lord Of The Flies Non Violence Quotes

    680 Words  | 3 Pages

    Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all revolution. Until We stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages.” - Thomas Edison. This quote explains the cause of people becoming savage. Killing, fighting, breaking rules, bullying, etc., are causes for a change in behavior of a person leading him/her to become savage.

    Read More

  • Why Do Boys Become Savage

    883 Words  | 4 Pages

    It is said that all people are savage but the way they are taught or the circumstances that someone is in can affect that. “There were, I believe, gangs of children who had lost their parents. Dispossessed, without anywhere to live or anything to live on, they roamed the country attacking and killing out of sheer cruelty” (Goulding “Why Boys Become Vicious” 1). In Lord of the Flies, the boys had been brought up in civilization with certain disciplines. Taking place during WWII, they were separated without contact to any adults on an inhabited island.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Savagery In Lord Of The Flies

    1619 Words  | 7 Pages

    How Savagery Takes Over George R.R. Martin once said, “There is a savage beast in every man, and when you hand that man a sword or spear and send him forth to war, the beast stirs.” William Golding demonstrates that every person has savagery inside of him in his novel, Lord of the Flies. In this novel, Golding shows us that civilization is lost and savagery begins when the urge to kill takes hold of us. William Golding’s character development of Jack and motif of weapons help develop his point.

    Read More

  • The Lord Of The Flies: Are People Born Good Or Evil?

    898 Words  | 4 Pages

    Lord of the Flies Are people born evil or good? Some people believe that humans are born good but get tempted into sin. Some people believe that humans are born evil and stay that way. Some people wonder if there is an inner debate of the soul. Because everyone is different could we be born with different souls.

    Read More

  • How Does Golding Present Human Nature In Lord Of The Flies

    1164 Words  | 5 Pages

    In Lord of the Flies, Golding explores the idea that human nature, when left without the regulations of society, will become barbaric. As one of the prevailing themes in his work, the dark side of human nature is represented through the novel, not only in symbols and motifs, but in his characters as well. The dark side of human nature is an integral part of the novel 'Lord of the Flies.' William Golding, a British novelist employs symbols, motifs and characters to create the idea that human nature, without civilisation will become barbaric.

    Read More

  • Dangerous Game Vs Rainsford

    931 Words  | 4 Pages

    In Lord of the Flies, Golding believed that civilization was a social construct and to illustrate that, he took a group of boys who were originally sophisticated but then altered due to moving from a normal place to a place without social constructs. Richard Connell however thought that savagery was learned as the prey of Zaroff’s game embodied animosity when they were being hunted as Rainsford did. Zaroff’s games however could have only been done in a place without laws, so choosing an island was ideal. Because of this choice, he was able to inflict people with savagery. Setting the story in an island without society is very convenient because it is easy for the characters to do what they would not be able to do in a public place, therefore making it perfect for chaos which can combat the experiences of civilization they had

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Devices In Lord Of The Flies

    922 Words  | 4 Pages

    The hidden savagery of humans that is dormant because of civilization is presented in Lord of the Flies through its symbolism, repetition and diction. The struggle for power and control on the island led to the exposure of savage nature that is present in the boys who were forced into a lawless place. Throughout the novel reason and logic are abandoned, causing the boys to act on whims and be controlled by their instincts rather than control themselves. Civilization has dampened human’s savage ways, but believing that there are no consequences could lead to the downfall of humanity and the return of the primitive ways society believes it has abandoned. Golding wrote Lord of the Flies to expose the hidden savagery that humans possess and how if humans aren’t careful they will become the savages

    Read More

  • Savagery Lord Of The Flies Quote Analysis

    523 Words  | 3 Pages

    The fight between civilization and savagery Lord of the Flies shows that the battle between savagery and civilization is a constant struggle within human nature. In this novel, a group of boys is stranded on an uninhabited island, and their fall into savagery uncovers the dark side of human nature. The Instinct of savagery is inherited, and all individuals and the constraints of society only suppress it. The word choice and actions, the desire for power and control, and the fear of the unknown are all savagery in The lord of the flies.

    Read More

  • Golding's Lord Of The Flies: Are Humans Born Good Or Evil?

    808 Words  | 4 Pages

    “A boy was born in this world with a heart of gold, but the way of the world made his heart turn cold” this is a quote take from the song by the band “Earth Wind and Fire” which is an excellent metaphor for talking about whether humans are born good or evil, to which one might say they are born good or they are born evil others will say they are neither. This brings up an interesting point, some people argue people are usually born neither as when you are born you have no perceived context of good or evil, and the environment on which you are raised will affect your morals and how you live your life, but some people may bring up the argument that out of all the people born in the world at least a small percentage must be born with evil intentions, this brings up an sizable dilemma that the book “Lord of The Fly’s” can answer. The book seems to allure to the answer to that question being evil as evidenced by the way the tribe changes from the beginning to the end, the changes of the two chiefs throughout the novel, and also even the world we live in today. The two tribes in the book lord of the flies is the main conflict of this book.

    Read More

  • Lord Of The Flies Human Nature

    1057 Words  | 5 Pages

    Lord of The Flies: Human Nature Are humans instinctively evil? Savage? In Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, young boys are left to organize themselves into a society to keep balance and peace on the island. When the society crumbles beneath their feet, one must ask these questions. The downfall and overall plot of the book is largely telling of human nature, and may be a smaller analogy for human nature in itself.

    Read More

  • Savagery Behavior In Lord Of The Flies

    460 Words  | 2 Pages

    What causes savagery behavior ? Biology can make people do bad things. It can cause savage and immoral behavior. Just like in the novel The Lord of the Flies. In the book, The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, he writes about character who are kids whose plane has crashed on an island.

    Read More

  • Chaos And Savagery In William Golding's Lord Of The Flies

    846 Words  | 4 Pages

    William Golding uses the theme that humans are naturally bad at heart, in the book Lord of the Flies to highlight that without the order and respect we choose to live our daily lives with our human nature will ultimately take us into chaos and savagery. Morals are what we choose to live by, this is what keeps us accountable. Morals do not appear overnight. Overtime they are ingrained throughout our childhood. Giving us a sense of right and wrong.

    Read More

  • Human Nature And Evil In William Golding's Lord Of The Flies

    1127 Words  | 5 Pages

    Throughout the novel of Lord of the Flies, William Golding provides a profound insight into human nature. Golding builds on a message that all human beings have natural evil inside them. To emphasize, the innate evil is revealed when there’s lack of civilization. The boys are constantly faced with numerous fears and eventually break up into two different groups. Although the boys believe the beast lives in the jungle, Golding makes it clear that it lurks in their hearts.

    Read More

More about Are Humans Born Savages In Lord Of The Flies By William Golding

Open Document