Savage Nature In Lord Of The Flies

Humankind’s Inherent Savage Nature In the novel Lord of the Flies, William Golding utilizes the developments of Ralph, the symbol of order, in order to demonstrate that the further humankind strays from civilization, the more they become tempted by their inherent savage nature. Golding’s novel embodies the struggle between civilization and savagery by expressing the difficulties faced by Ralph when he tries to avoid the desire to kill. Ralph tries to guide himself by clinging to familiar memories from his former life, but falls slightly short, causing him to experience an internal conflict between savagery and civilization. Through Ralph’s relationships and interactions with other characters, he is able to maintain control of himself by personally recognizing the devastating

Ralph is not only forced to defend himself, but also to think for himself due to the brutal murder of Piggy, who served as his knowledge. Initially, Ralph tries to remain civil by just innocently hiding among the jungle’s bushes rather than trying to violently defend himself. As the hunters creep nearer, Ralph becomes manic trying to protect himself, which is described when “Ralph [launches] himself like a cat, [stabbing], snarling, with the spear, and the savage [doubles] up” (Golding 195). Through the vivid comparison to a wild animal, Ralph is viewed with notable savage characteristics. Even though at the beginning of the hunt he was trying to remain civil by just hiding, the fear within him subconsciously takes over. Ralph is forced to act like an animal due to his need for protection, but his initial actions show he purposefully did not intend to do anything violent towards the other boys.The influence of fear causes Ralph to lose his motivation to be motivated through rational thought, but rather instinctual