Savagery Vs Civilization

“There is a savage beast in every man, and when you hand him a sword and put him in a war situation, then the savage beast inside the man becomes visible.” In the allegorical novel Lord of the Flies, a group of preteen boys are stranded on an isolated island, where they are faced with the task of survival. Golding uses pristine island in which the boys portray their inner selves. As the novel progresses, William Golding explores the causes, effects, and the long discussed subject of savagery versus civilization. The group of boys are obliged to find a way to survive until they are rescued, in which they are faced with the challenge of making realistic decision. As the novel advances, the characters begin to show their various personalities,

in which they discover that there is savagery stuffed inside every civilian man. Jack, one of the main characters, who exhibits the dark side of human nature, symbolizes uncontrollable savagery because of his discourteous behavior toward others, the use of violence, and the impulsion to kill.
Jack’s brutal and vicious behavior throughout the book reveals his immaturity and hatred toward others, especially Piggy. Golding’s diction divulges Jack’s abhorrence for others because of his inconvenient behavior. When the boys build an uncontrollable fire, Piggy attempts to explain that they should be more careful, but in return, Jack calls Piggy “fatty” in a very offensive way. When Piggy tries to explain his ideas the second time, he is told to “shut up” by Jack, which causes him to completely loose courage (Golding 45). Jack gives more acknowledgement to people like Roger who agree to his views and abuses the ones who do not please him such as Piggy. Jack’s bitterness towards Piggy is because Piggy is the exact opposite of Jack, both physically and mentally. Piggy’s asthma and glasses provides Jack to repeatedly target Piggy. Jack’s cruelty, when Piggy tries to contend himself, wipes every bit of hope from Piggy. Jack, not only, insults Piggy, but he also uses his physical strength on Piggy. Jack’s hatred toward Piggy is so tenacious that “[he] smacked Piggy’s stomach” and “stuck his fist into Piggy’s stomach with bitterness” (Golding 71). Jack uses violence on Piggy when it was his own mistake that the fire burned out. Jack tends to blame others for his own mistakes, and in this case, he blames Piggy for his mistake. Jack’s lack of prudence is immensely shown when he uses this kind of behavior, which also causes him to establish wrong decision.
Jack brutality causes him to make decisions out of anger and rage, and the use of fear helps him to carry out those decisions.

When Piggy is killed by Roger, Jack uses this incident as his advantage in the development of the fear and to generate his power. Jack establishes fear in everyone by stating that “there isn’t a tribe anymore” and that “the conch is gone.” Jack reveals that “[he] is the chief” and everyone must follow his order (Golding 181). Jack enforcement of such a terror, and Golding’s diction reveals the evil human inside Jack. Jack declares himself as a chief, and his word choice shows his anger and how he wants to break the rules that were previously set and make his own rules using fear. The decision that he makes are of his choice. Anger, which is a poor quality to have as an individual, is present throughout the book in Jack. Golding presents that anger can cause you to make inadequate decision through Jack’s behavior. Jack is so full of anger that he is unable to recognize the difference between good and bad which is the reason why he repeatedly uses different tactics, especially fear, to carry out his decisions. Jack consistently attempts to form a fear in everyone by screaming that “[if anyone goes against him] that is what [they will] get” (Golding 181). Jack states that there will be consequences, such as death, for the people who goes against him. Jack wants to conquer each person since he was not chosen as a chief in the beginning, so now he is

necessitation them to be with him. Jack, not just threats them, but also punishes and hurts others. Jack makes bunch of rules and uses violence for the people who breaks them. Jack makes everything seem fun at first, but then he ‘ties Wilfred” up for hours, waiting to be beaten for some crime which was not committed by him (Golding 160). Golding’s context shows the immaturity inside Jack. Such a behavior and Golding’s context shows that Jack is not an efficient chief. In fact, he is a chief that uses violence to establish authority. Jack keeps finding erroneous reason to punish innocent people for his personal indulgement. This indicates that Jack is not an efficient chief but a chief who punishes people for invalid reasons. Jack use of violence goes to another level when the urge of killing takes place.
Jack’s thirst and impulsion for killing the innocents reveals his savagery and the darkness that is present in humans. The boys came from a world where everyone is against physical violence. On the island, however, the knowledge taught to Jack fades very quickly. He quickly loses interest in that world of kindness and limits, which is why he gives his main interest hunting priority. Hunting is what brings the desire for meat and forms the urge to kill other living creatures. Jack, who first fails to kill the pig, shows no mercy the second time when he is given the opportunity. After killing, Jack’s excitement and his thirst is shown when he “laughs proudly” while saying that “[he] cuts the pig’s throat” (Golding 69). It is very unnatural for a school boy to have such an eagerness to kill, and this could only be done by a savage person like Jack. Jack is in a situation where he cannot understand nor acknowledge. Usually, when a person is in a society, a behavior of this kind is not accepted, but when put in a situation like this, the same person arrogantly confesses the thirst to kill. His thirst and impulsion to kill has become a feeling, which rules his nature. After Piggy is killed, he doesn’t show any sorrow in the death of Piggy. He instead turns Piggy’s death into his accomplishment and “[screams] widely.” Jack then shouts at everyone saying “that’s what you will get,” revealing the knowledge that no one should mess with him or the same thing will be done to them. Golding uses Jack’s tone to describe Jack’s hunger to kill. Instead of acting out some pain and grief, he is unable to acknowledge the sincerity of the situation. Jack has absolutely no regret over this kind of act. This is the hidden evil person that comes out when it is handed a sword and spears.
The strong-willed, egomaniacal Jack is the embodiment of savagery and a good uncivilization.

This realistic novel opens many doors of mankind and what it is capable of. Jack is the evil side of civilization which is hidden but once that evilness rises when confronted with the choice between civilization and savagery by the isolation of moral values an society, Jack choose to forget the values of the civilization and becomes the beast that everyone fears. This shows that people choose savagery over civilization as projected by Jack. Jack illustrates a very big picture that savagery is not cramped to certain people in certain situation but is present in every

human.