" Lord of the Flies".

Lord of the Flies

A running theme in Lord of the Flies is that man is savage at

heart, always ultimately reverting back to an evil and primitive

nature. The cycle of man's rise to power, or righteousness, and his

inevitable fall from grace is an important point that book proves

again and again, often comparing man with characters from the Bible to

give a more vivid picture of his descent. Lord Of The Flies symbolizes

this fall in different manners, ranging from the illustration of the

mentality of actual primitive man to the reflections of a corrupt

seaman in purgatory.

The novel is the story of a group of boys of different

backgrounds who are marooned on an unknown island when their plane

crashes. As the boys try to organize and formulate a plan to get

rescued, they begin to separate and as a result of the dissension a

band of savage tribal hunters is formed.

Lord of the Flies

English: Cottages, The Green, Marlborough William ...

Baker Street, London

Eventually the "stranded

boys in Lord of the Flies almost entirely shake off civilized

behavior: (Riley 1: 119). When the confusion finally leads to a

manhunt [for Ralph], the reader realizes that despite the strong sense

of British character and civility that has been instilled in the youth

throughout their lives, the boys have backpedaled and shown the

underlying savage side existent in all humans. "Golding senses that

institutions and order imposed from without are temporary, but man's

irrationality and urge for destruction are enduring" (Riley 1: 119).

The novel shows the reader how easy it is to revert back to the evil

nature inherent in man. If a group of well-conditioned school boys

can ultimately wind up committing various extreme travesties, one can

imagine what adults, leaders of society, are capable of doing under

the pressures of trying to maintain world relations.