Civilization and Savagery in Lord of the Files by William Golding

538 Words2 Pages

The story begins off as several British boys landing on a deserted island due to their airplane being shot down. Among the boys Ralph and Piggy find a conch shell and blow it to summon the boys across the island. After that the kids have a vote and vote Ralph as the chief. Then Ralph appoints Jack to the Head Hunter. Under Ralph’s rules they create fire and have rules. During their time on the Island Jack and his hunters go out and hunt pigs to put the food on the table. Later in the book several Little-uns are scared of a beast that one of them saw. Soon Jack and Ralph have an argument which results in Jack abandoning Ralph’s group to create his own. Gradually kids ditch Ralph’s group to join Jack’s group because Jack has meat. Kids under Jack’s influence experience love of hunting which results in violent actions and murders. Here is a quote from Piggy which summarizes the main theme of the book. Themes, the main theme of Lord of the Files is Civilization vs Savagery. Conflict between this two opposing governing system is portrayed throughout the book. In the book civilization is...

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