Cruelty In Lord Of The Flies

William Golding’s Lord of the Flies shows a group of young boys stranded on an island with no parental figures around. There is a plane crash and two main characters Ralph and Piggy are introduced to the audience first. These two characters are important throughout the whole story and show the ways the boys and the society deteriorate as the story goes on. Many events and different character personalities cause the boys to become savages and abandon all moral decisions. Children are already innocent and know little about surviving in the wild and keeping the rules of society, and with the things that happen and the events that occur, the boys easily become barbaric in nature. In Lord of the Flies the themes of Individual and Society, Cruelty,

and Survival are all portrayed through the characters of the story and the actions that happen. The minds of the boys and the atmosphere they are in changes dramatically as the island absorbs them during the story.
From the moment the boys arrive on the island till the time they are rescued individuality and the rules of society play a major role. Ralph is a good example of a strong, confident individual who can be the obvious leader of the group. “Ralph represents… island democracy” (Neighbors, Ryan). Piggy is a good example of the wisdom a society needs to survive. Jack is a fiery character that embraces primal feelings and is more animalistic than civilized. All of these different character types are important in a society. As the story goes on however, these character types fade and savages come out of the once good men. Jack and the hunters do not only hunt when needed too they embrace the hunt and abandon other rules. This is one of the main things that cause the society the boys have formed to crumble and break. The individuality of the boys leaves and a hunter pack mentality, like wolves, is formed which overtakes the ways of Ralph and the community he has created. This continues and makes the ritual of the beast, even more powerful. The individual plays a big part in society and if there are no individuals, then the society is no more. Though individuality is a part of the story, it is not the only thing that drives the boys to savagery. (Neighbors, Ryan)
Cruelty in Lord of the Flies does not happen immediately when the boys come to the island, but instead is slowly clawing up from deep inside the boys.

As the fears of the island and hunting pack mentality increases the boys become crueler. Most of the boys’ obsessions with hunting cause bloodlust, frenzy, and murder. “Their obsession with hunting…” (Neighbors, Ryan). They kill a sow and their ritualism leads to the death of Simon. The cruelty continues in the story and the hunting overcomes all other responsibilities. One main symbol of cruelty in the novel is the beast. The boys even begin to worship the beast and the cruelty comes from within each of the boys. (Neighbors, Ryan) Golding shows how cruelty is a natural aspect of human nature. As the novel progresses societal values and moral codes wear away and barbaric emotions take hold of the children. During times of war soldiers are cruel and display very horrible emotions, but these people have to do this to cope with those times. The boys are showing the cruel nature of man as the experiences on the island change them for the worse. Cruelty worsens during the course of the novel and eventually boys turn into beasts just like the one that was worshipped, enticed by the island and victim to it. This nature of being cruel and savage also ties into another important aspect of the novel which is

survival.
Survival is a very primal instinct that takes over when an individual is in danger. The boys realize that food, water, and shelter are needed to survive. Ralph creates groups and gives jobs to different people as a normal functioning society would. Most all of the boys want basic needs for survival, but only a few older boys are willing to work. “Though all of the boys…” (Neighbors, Ryan). The conch shell is used early in the novel to allow people to speak and share ideas with the group. The conch is a great symbol of society and values, but throughout the novel the conch is cast aside. The point when it breaks is the final straw and the loss of all good human values. Cruel survival instincts overcome the boys and they are savage beasts that cannot be civilized. The thrill of the hunt is too much for most of the boys and it intoxicates them. Surviving is the only thing that the boys know how to do after they have lost all morals and values. Instinctive animalistic behavior is all that the children know now. They have lost all hope of returning to a democratic civilization. Golding uses survival to portray the turn of events for the worse in the novel.
William Golding tells the reader in this novel that human nature and society are not always good. The use of symbols and characters reveals that, if not watched, the boys turn into savage beasts. The boys are intoxicated by the hunt and abandon the few things they have put in place to live on the island. In Lord of the Flies the themes of Individual and Society, Cruelty, and Survival are all portrayed through the characters of the story and the actions that happen. The minds of the boys and the atmosphere they are in changes dramatically as the island absorbs them during the story.