Savagery In Lord Of The Flies Essay

Avary Aulbach

The desire to have power can be irresistible to some people. Some people crave power so much that it causes them to act in savage ways, because they forget about what is important in life. Savagery is the quality of being fierce or cruel. In Lord of the Flies, Golding shows how the boys turn from innocent children to savage warriors. He uses the setting to show the boys progression into savagery. William Golding employs the setting to represent the physical, mental, and emotional state of savagery within the boys. One of the first times Golding uses the setting to describe the physical appearance of savagery inside the boys is in chapter three when he conveys the image of a “trunk of a vast tree that grew pale flowers on its grey bark.” This shows how the boys have a dark, evil look about them. The tree trunk is not abundant and neither is anything else on the island because of how evil, uncivilized, and savage the boys have been behaving.The reason why almost nothing is prospering on the island is because the boys are so focused on satisfying their own needs that they are not working together for the good of the group.

The trail represents the path Jack has chosen, the path of evil. The cracked twig symbolizes Jack’s craziness. Jack chose the path of evil because he selfishly focused on his own needs and desires rather than helping out the group. For example, Jack chooses to go hunting instead of staying with the boys and helping out with the fire. By choosing the path of evil it causes Jack to act harshly. Repeatedly, he physically and emotionally abuses the boys. He yells at the boys to shut up, and he swears at them. He also punches Piggy and steals his glasses. These actions were some of the main reasons why the group split