Remote Island In Lord Of The Flies Essay

In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the characters find themselves on a remote island which influences their behavior throughout the novel. While the violent and tribal nature that is revealed at the conclusion may come from eons of “survival of the fittest”, it is the island itself which has brought forth this animal-like behavior. If the characters of Lord of the Flies had not been stranded in a place without modern civilization and comforts, they would not have resorted to their primal nature.
The environment in which the entire novel takes place could be considered its own dynamic character, one that affects all the other characters of the narrative. The island symbolizes different ideas to various characters throughout, both positive and negative. When the boys first discover that they

are alone on an island, the idea that there are no adults and an absence of any form of control excites them.

This independence which they have been granted is at first appealing to the boys. When Ralph realizes that there is no one to control him, “the delight of a realized ambition overcame him… he stood on his head and grinned” (Golding 8). Many young boys dream of being away from their parents where they are not told what to do, and the situation the boys find themselves in brings just that. The presence of the beach and ocean, as well as the lack of authority, allows the boys to be playful. The island brings a more peaceful sort of joy to another one of the boys: Simon. Simon discovers the beauty of the island by listening closely while he is unaccompanied in the jungle. Simon hears “sounds of the bright fantastic birds, the bee-sounds, even the crying of the gulls… the deep sea breaking miles away on the reed made an undertone less perceptible than the susurration of the blood” (Golding 57). To Simon, the island has a sense magnificence that can only by brought by nature. This setting comforts him more than anyone else can. The island also brings a more primal sense of accomplishment to the boys when they kill their

first pig to eat. This event brings the hunters together. The twins “seemed to share one wide, ecstatic grin”, while Jack “danced a step or two” (Golding 69). The killing of the first pig was done out of necessity for food, but the bliss that the boys experienced ignited a latent primal urge to hunt, not only to eat but to kill. It could be argued that there exist many situations in which the boys would take pleasure and that the island is arbitrary, but it is this environment which realizes the wishes of the characters.
While the island is a stage for much fun and play, it also brings much darker urges out of the boys. The natural formation of the island first encourages tribal behavior when the boys discover Castle Rock. While Ralph as the leader of the boys disapproves of the use Castle Rock as a fort due to the inconvenience it would bring, Jack is ecstatic about its possibilities. Jack proposes that they could “shove a palm trunk under that and if an enemy came” (Golding 106). Although Jack’s thoughts are cut off, it is evident that Jack believes that this structure would be useful to protect against enemies. The island itself is persuading Jack to use it for tribal purposes. The character that is the environment not only encourages its inhabitants, but it also shows off its power. When both Simon and Piggy were killed by violent acts of man, the environment devours their corpses as if to feed on the brutality of the boys. Golding writes: “Then the sea breathed again in a long, slow sigh, the water boiled white and pink over the rock; and when it went, sucking back again, the body of Piggy was gone” (181). The island is agreeing with the violent actions the boys. The island exerts a force a violence, which is later manifested in the actions of Jack and his tribe. Golding writes about the weather during the dance which kills Simon: “The dark sky was shattered by a blue-white scar… The chant rose a tone in agony” (152). The storm raging above influences the excitement of Jack’s tribal chant. While it may be true that the violent nature in the boys which caused such fervent actions, such as the killing of Simon, would not have occurred in a British classroom, is the absence of the supervision to which the boys had been accustomed, as well as the lack of consequences of their actions, which turned them from man to beast.
When the boys find themselves on an island where they are allowed to act freely, their actions start off with positive intentions but quickly turned primal. The events which took place on the island cannot be entirely blamed on the environment, it is the situation which they are in that unlocked the dormant primordial nature which is found in all creatures. But without these circumstances, the boys would not have become the creatures that they did.

Works Cited
Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. Penguin Group, 1954.