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What Is The Theme Of Savagery In Lord Of The Flies

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Brutal is the first word people use to describe The Lord of the Flies. However, this is apiece of literature that is often referred to as a classic, there must be more to it. Truth is, TheLord of the Flies has a complex theme that is sometimes overpowered by the violence and strongimagery Golding decided to include. The book is, at its core, an extended metaphor for the natureof men, government, and civilizations crumble.First, let’s discuss the nature of men, which according to Golding is pure savagery. Thecharacter that best embodies this aspect is Jack. Jack rejects Ralph’s leadership (Ralphsymbolizes government and authority), and starts a “tribe” that hunts and performs rituals; theyare the aspect of savagery in the novel. Jack decides …show more content…

There aretwo main symbols the conch and the pig’s head, order and savagery respectively (Lord of theFlies Analysis, Themes and Symbolism). These symbols are not to be confused with the humansymbols of civilization (Jack and Ralph). These symbols represent the actual concept of orderand savagery. The conch brought order to the civilization by setting the rule that to speak onemust hold the conch, it acted as a regulator for meeting. It literally kept order. The conch alsosymbolizes symbols of power, for example, a kings crown or a badge. It’s a metaphor that saysthat symbols of power get their power from the way people think of them, in other words peoplegive it meaning. When the conch is broken so is order. Just when it breaks Ralph believes thatpower is up for grabs, and so chaos breaks out. After that Ralph becomes chief of the tribe. Thenext idol is the pig’s head, it symbolizes the beast inside of all the boys. It is the symbol forsavagery in civilization. It stands for everything dark and rotten in men, that is why it is depictedas having flies and rotting.The Lord of the Flies has many themes that go really deep. It is foolish to see it simply asa book of violence. Even though there is a lot of it there is a reason; it is to drive the point thatwe all carry it. We all carry the

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