“Maybe there is a beast….maybe it’s only us” (Golding 89). William Golding, the author of Lord of the Flies, lived through the two World Wars. During these wars, he witnessed the horrors and evils of our society: the numerous casualties, the Holocaust, and other tragic events. He even participated in one, World War II. It is clear that these events inspired him to write this novel; the characters and events in the story symbolize different aspects of our society (Alnajm). Based on the allegory developed in Lord of the Flies, William Golding believes that the state of civilization and authority declines and savagery as evil erupt.
As the story progresses, Ralph’s ability to lead and guide the group of littluns and biguns declines. The littluns were often out of control and could not be tamed, while the biguns, mostly the ones in the hunting group, would often go about and do whatever they pleased. “Bollocks to the rules! We’re strong--we hunt!” (Golding 91). The fact that Jack stated this shows how he has little regard to the rules Ralph established. It also shows how Ralph’s leadership has little impact on him and his hunters. “All of the boys of the island, except Piggy, Ralph, Simon...were grouped on the turf” (Golding 148). At this point in the book, most of the children join Jack’s new tribe. This reflects how Ralph’s authority over the island decrease; he’s no longer a leader over anyone except for a few of the children. His inability to lead effectively cause many of the children to favor Jack as their chief, as opposed to him. The members of Jack’s tribe now face the repercussions of joining the group; they become more barbaric and primitive than what they were before. They lose their sense of civility and order.
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The more time the children spend on the island, the more they lose their sense of civility and order. They transition into a more primitive and impulsive behavior, and chaos erupts. “Ralph, carried away by a sudden thick excitement, grabbed Eric’s spear and jabbed at Robert with it” (Golding 114). Usually, Ralph doesn’t care for hunting with the hunters, but his behavior changed when he joined the group. It was like being with them changed him completely. “Demoniac figures with faces of white and red and green rushed out howling…” (Golding 140). William Golding described the hunters as demoniac figures to indicate that they lose their sense of civility. “He began to dance and his laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling” (Golding 48). Every time Jack goes hunting, he transitions into another being. Jack, along with the other hunters, become savages.
As time progresses on the island, the state of savagery and evil rises. The children, especially the boys in the hunting group, become demoniac figures (Golding 140). “Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!” (Golding 152). Jack and his hunters tend to chant this throughout the book. This song has a dark and evil undertone; it reflects their inner wicked behavior. “Roger sharpened a stick at both ends” (Golding 190). It’s not a secret that Roger is more ruthless than the others; however, he never sharpened the spears at both ends. This action suggests that Roger meant to kill. In chapter 8, the Lord of the Flies, also known as the beast, is introduced to the story. Physically, the Lord of the Flies is a “Pig’s head on a stick” (Golding 143). Figuratively, this figure symbolizes the inner immorality that civilization possesses (Shmoop Editorial Team). When Simon met this figure, he realizes that “beast” wasn’t a physical entity; the beast was a part of them all along.
William Golding believes that as barbarity rises, civility and order often falls. As time passes on the island, the children became reluctant to following Ralph’s rules, especially Jack and his hunters. In the midst of this, they began to transition from civility to savagery. The children, specifically Jack’s hunters, lose their self-control and become demoniac figures, as Golding described. They channel their inner “beast” or evilness and become cold-blooded savages. This is what William Golding believed in; he reflected this in his novel.
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