Q. Explore Golding’s presentation of civilized behaviour in ‘Lord of the Flies’.
1. Initially, Golding could be seen to present how society is naturally inclined to civilized
behaviour.
- importance of social structures: naming, democracy, roles
- “we ought to have a meeting” (Piggy)
- “we ought to have a chief to decide things” (Ralph)
- reliance on social structures to maintain civilised behaviour
- natural inclination to create order
- symbol of the glasses & the conch
- glasses = rational power, clarity, logic
- conch = democracy, civilisation, order
- “Then Piggy was standing cradling the great cream shell”
- nurturing & protecting conch i.e. civilisation
2. As the novel develops, he could be seen to communicate how, outside of the
structures of society, humans revert to uncivilized behaviour.
- Jack as increasingly animal-like, myopic and obsessed with violence
- “dog-like”, “ape-like”, “he was naked”, “surge of blood”, “seductive (sound
of pig)”
- animalistic lang = savagery outside society, ‘man is a wolf to
another man
- primal physicality = depraved, troglodytic, devolved, losing
humanity
- connotations of blood lust, arousal, desire = Jack represents the id -
base desires, desire for domination fused w. sexual desires,
insanity/irrationality.
3. Ultimately, however, Golding could be seen to communicate how all civilized
behaviour is merely a façade, concealing inherent savagery.
- Embodiment of the beast in human conflict: the parachute man
- adult world is anarchic & barbaric as the boys on the island
- symbol of war
- Attack on Robert foreshadowing the ultimate savagery of Jack and conveying his
ruthless blood-lust
- “the circle moved in and round”,
- “Ralph, carried away by a sudden thick excitement”
- “the chant rose ritually”
- “the desire to squeeze and hurt him was over-mastering”
1. Initially, Golding could be seen to present how society is naturally inclined to civilized
behaviour.
- importance of social structures: naming, democracy, roles
- “we ought to have a meeting” (Piggy)
- “we ought to have a chief to decide things” (Ralph)
- reliance on social structures to maintain civilised behaviour
- natural inclination to create order
- symbol of the glasses & the conch
- glasses = rational power, clarity, logic
- conch = democracy, civilisation, order
- “Then Piggy was standing cradling the great cream shell”
- nurturing & protecting conch i.e. civilisation
2. As the novel develops, he could be seen to communicate how, outside of the
structures of society, humans revert to uncivilized behaviour.
- Jack as increasingly animal-like, myopic and obsessed with violence
- “dog-like”, “ape-like”, “he was naked”, “surge of blood”, “seductive (sound
of pig)”
- animalistic lang = savagery outside society, ‘man is a wolf to
another man
- primal physicality = depraved, troglodytic, devolved, losing
humanity
- connotations of blood lust, arousal, desire = Jack represents the id -
base desires, desire for domination fused w. sexual desires,
insanity/irrationality.
3. Ultimately, however, Golding could be seen to communicate how all civilized
behaviour is merely a façade, concealing inherent savagery.
- Embodiment of the beast in human conflict: the parachute man
- adult world is anarchic & barbaric as the boys on the island
- symbol of war
- Attack on Robert foreshadowing the ultimate savagery of Jack and conveying his
ruthless blood-lust
- “the circle moved in and round”,
- “Ralph, carried away by a sudden thick excitement”
- “the chant rose ritually”
- “the desire to squeeze and hurt him was over-mastering”
