Little Boys And Civilization In William Golding's Lord Of The Flies

Little Boys and Civilization

If I told you that your child had gone missing, then some time later they were found on a deserted island and found that several of the kids they had been stuck with were killed, chances are you wouldn’t believe me and probably call the police. Unless you had some sort of knowledge and belief that William Golding 's Lord of the Flies could happen. Golding wrote Lord of the Flies with the purpose of convincing readers that there is darkness within all of us and that without authority and consequences that darkness comes out. In Lord of the Flies William Golding uses characterization of the boys and symbolism to show that civilization and order breaks down when there is a lack of consequences and authority.

Jack

“Golding does not see body painting and masks in a functioning society and when Jack puts on the paint it is as if he hides away from logic and reason. It allows him to become savage and powerful. In those days “savages” were people of color and other uncivilized nations in Africa and Jack becomes “colors” himself when he puts on war paint which embodies the savage image of that time period” (Hawlin, Stefan). Golding is saying that without the presence of white males in an authoritative position creating civilization the boys slip into savagery just as Africans did without white colonisers controlling them.” Another symbol of civilization is the conch “When Ralph blows into the conch for the first time to summon the boys he creates the start of a civilization (Bloom, Harold). The conch is a powerful item just as civilization had lots of power “Ralph grasped the idea and hit the shell with air from his diaphragm. immediately the thing sounded. A deep harsh note boomed under the palms…” but soon the conch loses meaning and it is eventually destroyed at Castle Rock “The conch exploded into a thousand white fragments…” (163). Once the conch is gone so is all traces of civilization. Another symbol Golding uses is Piggy’s glasses. Although they represent technology on the island it is also a source of power. When Piggy’s glasses are stolen by Jack “From his left hand dangled Piggy’s

It 's just a fact. Without consequences they will crumble. This was even proven by a CBS TV show done “a group of boys ages 8 through 15 were challenged to build a society in the desert of New Mexico in 40 days. The boys did not succeed and the experiment was largely criticized for its dangerous conditions. Psychologists predicted the conditions could have gotten worse if adults weren’t overseeing the show” (Psychologist likens 'Nation ' to 'Flies) Golding’s point was not incorrect. He wants us to know that there is a reason for authority and rules and we shouldn’t ignore his book after it has been proven in real