Lord of the Flies

William Golding’s Lord of the Flies is a “beautifully written, tragic and provocative” allegory that reveals the inhumane savagery within all people. It is a terrifying tale of the “beast” within the individual and describes the true inner nature that consumes all humanity and civility within us. Golding cleverly uses the impetuousness of youth to portray the loss of innocence experienced in a cruel, uncivilised, and savage society. He also tries to epitomize the potential of savagery that is shown by these young boys as they commit the ultimate act of evil; the savage slaughter of another human being.

As civility on the island begins to disintegrate, Piggy and Ralph are ostracized from the remaining tribe members. They, together with twins Samneric, are left with the tattered remains of their lost authority and egalitarianism. Secluded from the rest of the island, they are left with the dwindling hope of rescue; their last aspirations burning in the heart of the sacred fire on the mountain. Piggy and Ralph then realise that their faith has been diminished along with the burning flames of salvation; their unity burned into the ground with the ashes of the “invisible flame.”Compelled by survival, they turn to the pack of savages across the island. “Long before Ralph and Piggy” reached the desolate plains of barbarianism “they could hear the party”; the vicious sounds of wild beasts rocking the gentle waves of the serene lagoon. As Piggy and Ralph enter the “grassy platforms” near “the edge of the water”, they are surprisingly welcomed by the tribal islanders and given food to eat. Although they are initially welcomed, the tribe is soon divided when Ralph and Jack begin to contend for leadership and authority over the island.

The debate over supremacy soon escalates as Jack and Ralph try to convince the tribe of their superiority. Jack offers the tribe members a life of freedom; filled with adventure and enjoyment. He provides meat, fun, and most importantly, protection “from the beast.” His “authority sat on his shoulder and chattered in his ear like an ape” while he administrated his control over the tribe; his “mask compelled them” and fortified his power as chief. Ralph tries desperately to assert his authority over the islanders; his only friend, “the talisman, the fragile, shining beauty of the shell.” As the tribe nominated Jack as leader, “there was a blink of bright light,” and the heavens opened with “blows of the thunder.” “Between the flashes of lightning” the savages could be seen; their strident dance of vociferous terror beginning in the flashing darkness of the night.

“The air was dark and terrible” as fear enveloped the island and washed over the boys; their terror culminating in the feral dance of bestial savagery. A “circling movement developed” as the boys began to chant; their fear of the thunderous sky lost in a sea of adrenalin and psychotic madness. Their movements “began to beat like a steady pulse” and became like “a single organism,” as the night became purged from fear and trepidation. The primal dance of uncultivated barbarianism soon escalates to unmitigated insanity “as the boys’ delicate sense of order fades”; their individual common sense forfeited to the life of the dance. “The dark sky was shattered by a blue-white scar” as the flagrant dance of savagery steadily grew into a callous display of unrestrained ferocity. “The circle became a horseshoe” and a figure emerged from the forest; “darkly, uncertainly” it “stumbled into the horseshoe.” As the circle envelopes the beast, screeches of pain are emitted by the small, vulnerable being; its soft voice crying out about a “body on the hill.” As the beast struggled against the might of pulsing insanity, it tumbled down to the “sand by the water.” The savages surged after it; their desire to kill over-powering. “There were no words, and no movements but the tearing of teeth and claws.”

When the terror of the night subsided, the boys stood watching the small body on the soft sand. As “its blood was staining the sand” the group of boys came to the sad realisation of their horrific actions. They could see the boy; his stillness echoing the viciousness of a lost conscience. The wind and rain that poured on the boys was fierce with contempt; the ardent winds blowing intensely to reveal the true beast. As a parachuted figure flew into view, a sad irony settled in the hearts of the islanders. When the boys kill Simon, they are acting on the savage instinct that the beast represents; but are mistaken in the identity of the beast. Simon is killed trying to reveal the truth of “the beast” but is seen as the monster because of the boys’ feral delusions. The parachutist flying out towards the sea is symbolic of Simon’s futile death; a death that exemplifies the power of evil within the human soul.

As the island settles into a state of mellifluousness, the death of Simon is resonated in the dark air; his last cries echoing in the silence of the calm forest. This tragic event is used to show the loss of innocence and depicts the true inner nature of all “creatures.” Lord of the Flies is a “terrifying and haunting” piece of allegorical literature that depicts a psychological insight into the human mind.