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Savagery is defined by the uncivilized or barbaric state of condition. In the book, Lord of the Flies, the transition from civilization to savagery is revealed by many different characters while some characters don’t change at all. These characters show their transition or position in many different ways. The difference between civilization and savagery is obvious because of the character's personalities in Lord of the Flies, especially those of Jack, Roger, Ralph, Simon, and Piggy.

"He [Jack] began to dance and his laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling. (Golding 64)" This quote from the book shows how Jack turned into a bloodthirsty savage. When Jack arrived at the island, he was an innocent twelve year old. The intensity of the island changed Jack. Jack was assigned the responsibility to hunt for the pigs on the island. Soon the hunt for the pigs became an unconciseness slaughter. He wanted to assert power and show himself to the other boys but he forgot to do something very important. To add to all of this, Jack forgot to check the fire on the mountain which shows how he separated from the group to put his own needs first. Another great example of a character that became less civilized is Roger. He came on to the island with the innocence of a civilized lifestyle. The island was a place where Roger could express his darker side and become more of a savage. He controlled Jack like a puppet and turned him and all of the other hunters into bloodthirsty savages. Roger and Jack show how intense the island really was. They let the temptations overcome what they knew was actually right.

The fair haired boy, Ralph, has shown civilization throughout Lord of the Flies. The group of boys voted Ralph as their leader beca...

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...the temptations overwhelm his decisions. The rules of group, like keeping the fire lit, were important to Simon. The only way that Simon defied the rules of the group was going off into the jungle by himself, even though him going off on his own lead to the discovery of the real beastie. Simon and Piggy are two of the few that still believed in civilization and they were both killed by savagery. This shows how powerful savagery really is in the novel and in real life.

One of the many themes of Lord of the Flies is the conflict between human nature, savagery, and the rules of civilization. Throughout the novel, this theme is implied by the differences between many people like Ralph and Jack, Simon and Roger, and many more who represent civilization vs. savagery. The difference in those ideas are expressed by each boy's different attitudes towards law and order.