Essay | Civilization Vs. Savagery in Lord of the Flies

The human will has two desires that conflict with each other: to live by civilization and to live by savagery. The civilized impulse we have is to live peacefully, morally, and by rules and laws. The savage characteristic we have is to act violently, using force to gain authority and power over others. Throughout Lord of the Flies, Golding links the idea of civilization with good, and savagery with evil. How do civilization and savagery compare and contrast, and what does the novel tell us of human nature? Golding implies that civilization and savagery are opposite forms of basic government structure, and uses Ralph to show the method of civilization, and Jack to show the method of savagery. Even though civilized and savage are areas on opposite ends of a continuum, they run parallel to one another in certain aspects. Finally, Golding recognizes that when isolated from the outside world,...
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