The influential English author, William Golding, once said: “I have always understood the Nazis because I am of that sort by nature”. The controversial and rather unsettling theory that humans are inherently evil is portrayed in Golding’s 1954 novel ‘Lord of the Flies’. The novel depicts a group of English boys aged 5-12 who become stranded on a deserted island and rapidly descended into savagery. It was written to present Golding’s theory that all humans have the potential to be savage and it supports the notion that savagery is the true face of humanity and is merely masked by the strength of civilization. This savage nature can be seen throughout history and is still a reality in our lives today. Ancient Rome, Hitler’s Germany, terrorist-controlled Pakistan, and the riots in the USA all had a deep underbelly of savagery and arguably promoted savage behavior. Golding’s opinion on humanity’s savage nature is shown through Jack’s conversion to violence, the destruction of Piggy and the conch, and the hunt for Ralph. No matter how deep civilization hides it, there is a hint of savagery within us all.
The island that the boys land on is deserted and lacks any connection with the outside world, yet some memories of civilization still existed within the boys. This can be seen when Jack addresses the boys and says “We’ve got to have rules and obey them. After all, we’re not savages”. Another example of the surviving civilization within the boys is the use of the conch to ensure that all the boys can voice their opinions and are listened to. Whilst all was well on the island at the beginning of the novel, savage behavior quickly took over and signs of civilization were wiped out. Behind his painted mask, Jack lead this change and became the leader of the savages. Later, the conch and Piggy, one of the boys who resisted his own savagery and the savagery of others, were both destroyed simultaneously by a boulder launched by Roger, Jack’s sadistic side-kick, therefore signifying the destruction of civilization on the island. The boys that resisted their inner savagery the most, Ralph and Piggy, even somewhat participated in the murder of one of the boys, Simon, showing that humanity’s nature is truly savage, even if some try to reject it. The lack of civilization on the island meant that this fact was not masked as it is in the real world.
Throughout the novel, the strength of savagery, humanity’s true nature, became more apparent due to the absence of civilization to veil it. The savage behavior reached its climax when Jack’s tribe set out to find and presumably kill Ralph. The young English boys who, at the time, were often viewed as civil and innocent, brandished hand-made weapons and even set fire to the island to draw Ralph out. While they were unsuccessful, the actions of the boys show humanity’s potential to act on our savage instincts and create mass destruction and death. The fire started by the boys eventually draws the attention of a naval officer, who originally dismisses the fire as ‘fun and games’. Whilst the officer does rescue Ralph, Golding wants to remind us the naval officer is engaged in a savagery of his own, war. A savagery that is masked by civilization. Golding even said in relation to World War II that “anyone who moved through those years without understanding that man produces evil as a bee produces honey, must have been blind or wrong in the head”.
Humans today talk, wear clothes, live in houses, and believe that they are better than the savages of the past, savages like Julius Caesar, Adolf Hitler, and Josef Stalin, but the truth is that we all have savage tendencies, and those tendencies are merely covered by the society. Golding’s ‘Lord of the Flies’ demonstrates to the reader the power of savagery when it is let loose and unchecked. This is seen through Jack’s conversion to violence, the destruction of Piggy and the conch, and the hunt for Ralph. No matter which of the Earth’s eight billion people it is, humans are all able to allow savage behavior to rule supreme in their lives. The choice, however, is up to humanity. Will they resist savage behavior, or will they allow savagery to conquer civilization ad create a reality, just like William Golding’s novel? Maybe it is already too late.
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