“There are too many people, and too few human beings. ” Robert Zend Even though there are many people on this planet, there are very few civilized people. Most of them are naturally savaged. In the book, Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, boys are stranded on an island far away, with no connections to the adult world. These children, having no rules, or civilization, have their true nature exposed. Not surprisingly, these children’s nature happens to be savagery. Savagery can clearly be identified in humans when there are no rules, when the right situation arouses, and finally when there is no civilization around us.
Without rules, savagery takes over. Without rules, man is free to do whatever he desires. Meaning, their true nature will be exposed. That nature is surely savagery. For example, when you watch little kids, you tend to notice that if one has a toy, the other will start a fight just to get a toy. Since the kids don’t know the difference between rights and wrong, they’re just expressing themselves naturally, which happens to be savagery.
Here is a quote from Golding from chapter 4 of his book that proves that rules are the basis to civilization. Roger gathered a handful of stones and began to throw them. Yet there was a space round Henry, perhaps six yards in diameter, into which he dare not throw. Here, invisible yet strong, was the taboo of the old life. Round the squatting child was the protection of parents and school and policemen and the law. ” This quote shows that Roger is slowly losing the rules of the civilized world as time passes. In this passage by Golding, Roger is throwing rocks, but is still afraid of the society’s rules.
Later in the book he kills Piggy by rolling a boulder from the top of the mountain showing how his savagery has increased through out the novel without the books. Golding inserts a beautiful, short quote expressing them naturally, which happens to be savagery. “Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood! ” – pg. 152 The kids dance around a slaughtered mother pig, excitedly spilling the pigs’ intestines on the ground and rubbing the blood on each others faces. Does this seem like something normal kids would do? No, it’s not because there would be a parent or a higher authority setting rules for them, to tell them otherwise.
In the book by Golding, “Lord of the Flies,” when all authority is taken out of the picture, the kids are free to do whatever they want. This is where their true nature is exposed. The boys don’t put into practice their teachings from church/school on the island, but become savage beasts. This shows us that man is civilized in our society, only because of the fear for higher authority, not because that’s their nature. Man can only cover up inner savagery so long, before it breaks out, given the right situation. This states
