Lord Of The Flies Nature Vs Civilization Essay

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Human Nature Versus Civilization in Lord of the Flies
The classic novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding uses symbolism and characters to represent the civilization created on a mysterious island. Ralph is the initial leader of the pact of boys after they become stranded during a tragic plane crash. Piggy, one of the first boys to be found after the accident, becomes a strong proponent of Ralph and his decisions throughout the book. Ralph and Piggy are challenged by Jack and his sidekick Roger. Jack and Roger represent the side of human nature driven by instincts and savagery, whereas Ralph and Piggy demonstrate how civilization shapes you to behave. Along with these characters, symbolism like the conch shell and pig hunting play a vital …show more content…

Without these two key factors, society fails and humans may revert back to natural tendencies, forgetting the civilized manner in which they were raised. Ralph finds this conch shell in the very beginning of the novel. It helps him to become the leader of the group and becomes vital to keeping order in the society. “If I blow the conch and they don’t come back; then we’ve had it. We shan’t keep the fire going. We’ll be like animals. We’ll never be rescued” (Golding 93). Here, Ralph is relying on the conch as a way to keep order in their society. It shows how Ralph perceives the conch, and how it relates to the maintenance of a signal fire, which connects him to civilization. Ralph becomes scared for the others like Jack and Roger, because he senses their descent into evil. Death and destruction also come to light with the killing of Piggy by Roger and the conch shell’s destruction. “The rock struck Piggy a glancing below from chin to knee; the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist” (Golding 209). Once the conch becomes destroyed, so does order on the island. Piggy’s death symbolizes the end of civilization among the boys. (1 more

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