Lord of the Flies 493boy begins to throw rocks at the younger, intention-
ally missing and forming a circle of rocks around
him. Roger is, in essence, exerting the same control
over Henry that Henry exerts over the plankton.
He does not injure the smaller boy because his arm
has been conditioned by the society they have been
separated from. These societal rules soon fade from
Roger’s mind, though. Toward the end of the novel,
the earlier scene is mirrored when Roger murders
Piggy with a boulder. Society’s rules no longer hin-
der his individual nature.
Finally, a few symbols represent this interplay
between the individual and society. The conch shell
that first appears in the opening chapter symbolizes
civilization. The boys use it to conduct their meet-
ings, and only the boy holding the conch can speak.
As the novel progresses, the boys’ journey away from
society is shown in their disregard for the conch
and its rules. This culminates in the destruction of
the shell at Piggy’s death. Likewise, the signal fire
points to the boys’ desire for the society they have
left behind. As the hunters become more engrossed
in killing, they forget to keep the fire ablaze and
actually miss a chance at rescue. By this point, their
desire for violence outweighs their desire for rules
and peaceful coexistence.
It appears that Golding is making the state-
ment that humans are not innately moral beings;
they naturally hunger for barbarism, violence, and
power. In Golding’s novel, morality is imposed on
the children by their society, and when the society
is no longer there to police them, they revert to a
more primitive state. It is only at the end of the
novel, when faced with the prospect of returning to
civilization, that they see where disregarding societal
rules has taken them.
Ryan Neighbors
Sur vival in Lord of the Flies
In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, a group
of schoolboys of various ages must survive on a
deserted island after their plane is shot down as they
try to escape Britain during World War II. The book
centers around the attempts they make to survive,
beginning with forming an island democracy and
including the eventual turning from that democracy
and its rules. In all, the boys take several steps to
guarantee their survival. These steps are taken to
ensure their safety and to meet their basic needs.
They include creating an island society, building
shelter, starting a signal fire, and hunting.
The boys create an island society to establish
order on the island and to mirror the society they
have left where they felt secure. They elect a leader,
Ralph, and define the rules of their society, such as
allowing only the person holding the conch shell
to speak at meetings. Eventually, however, the boys
turn their backs on the societal rules they have
created, instead relying on their barbaric natures
to ensure their survival. This turning from society
begins with their disregarding the rule of the conch
shell. It reaches its symbolic peak in the destruction
of the conch shell toward the end of the novel.
The first task the boys set about after creating
their island society is to build shelters and gather
food. Though all of the boys seem excited about the
plan to build huts, only Ralph and Simon work to
build them while the others play in the lagoon. This
implies that while all of the boys want their basic
needs met, only a couple of the older ones are willing
to do what it takes to ensure their survival. Likewise,
the boys set about gathering fruit to eat, though it
is mainly just a few of the older ones who are will-
ing to do this, as well. In addition to gathering fruit,
many of the boys, led by Jack, opt to hunt for their
food. This desire to hunt arises after Jack sees a sow,
though it is several days before the sow will provide
sustenance for them. Nevertheless, the hunt soon
consumes many of the boys, leading to the fall of
the island society.
Early in the novel, Piggy, the voice of reason
in the group, brings it to the others’ attention that
it will likely be some time before they are rescued.
This revelation frightens many of the children but
eventually prompts them to create a signal fire on
the mountain. In their first attempt at building the
fire, the boys spend more time playing than actu-
ally attending to it. The fire begins to burn out of
control, burning a large path through the forest and
presumably killing one of the “littluns.” Eventually,
the group, led by the hunters, is able to safely control
the fire and let it continue to burn. However, much
like their turning from their island society, the boys
become so focused on hunting that they ultimately