War Paint Symbolism In Lord Of The Flies

In the book Lord of the Flies by William Golding, a significant symbol is the war paint worn by the boys. The war paint is a symbol of them hiding their shame and guilt of human sin as well as bringing forth the true nature of human savagery behind the facade of civilization. The war paint allows the boys to become these evil creatures and do reckless activities without guilt. When these boys apply the war paint, they are no longer themselves.
The guilt and shame that all humans have from committing human sin withers away when these boys apply the paint. The boys hiding behind the masks as a relief of their consequences is displayed when the narrator reflects, “He capered toward Bill, and the mask was a thing on its own, behind which

Jack hid, liberated from shame and self-consciousness” (Golding 64). This war paint acts as a mask that completely changed the behavior of the boys. These masks transform them from civilized to savage in the matter of seconds.
These masks that these boys hide behind bring out the true savagery, the Id, within all humans that is kept in check by society. Humans go through the same tasks in civilization every day. These masks unleashed the true savagery within the human race. The savagery that is incarcerated by the laws of authority. The disguise of savagery that these boys wear to defy the laws of society are “For hunting. Like in the war. You know—dazzle paint. Like things trying to look like something else” (Golding 65). The war paint allows the boys to let their true savages creep out from the shadows of order and democracy. They went from being used strictly for hunting to a facade to hide behind.
The war paint symbolizes a mask that hides humanity’s shame and guilt of human sin as well as brings forth true nature of human savagery behind the facade of civilization. The mask was never truly meant for hunting but more as a defense mechanism against the guilt that follows killing the innocent. The environment with the lack of adults or authority has brought out the fear within these boys. With fear comes violence. And with violence comes destruction from the inner savage in each boy.