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Humanity and Barbarism in Lord of the Flies

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William Golding’s "Lord of the Flies," is a dystopian story of a group of English schoolboys stranded on an isolated island during wartime. Told through an omniscient perspective, the novel elucidates on both the thoughts and actions of the boys. With most of the constraints of society removed instantly, the boys revert into a state of savagery, extirpating any rules and guidelines for living. Ultimately, the concept of civilization and order in the group of boys becomes chimerical in their savage state, and the few boys who refuse to succumb to savagery are brutally murdered by their peers. Through his ocular descriptions of his characters, his use and juxtaposition of the symbolism of the conch shell and the Lord of the Flies, and the evolution of the "Lord of the Flies" itself, Golding establishes humanity as intrinsically barbaric and our innate savagery as the true defect of humanity. A comparison of Golding’s descriptions of the eyes of his characters and the actions of his characters themselves manifest the barbarism of humanity. The first description of Jack, the ultimate leader of the savages, portrays Jack’s eyes as protruding “out of [Jack’s] face, and turning, or ready to turn, to anger” (20). In even the first description of Jack, there is a significant difference between his eyes and the eyes of the other initially innocent littluns, and this disparity is reflected in Jack’s savage actions as well. When Jack fails to slay a pig, he glances “round fiercely, daring them [the boys] to contradict” (31). Jack’s savage actions are reflected in his eyes, suggesting that savagery is intrinsic in humanity. Furthermore, Ralph’s eyes, which proclaim “no devil” (10), parallel Ralph’s innocent and beneficent actions to organize and implement rules in the group. When the boys go wild and explore the island like savages, however, Ralph’s eyes are “shining” (27). By suggesting that the eyes of someone as initially beneficent as Ralph are shining as he is engaging in barbaric acts, Golding shows that humanity is naturally savage. Most significantly, Simon, the only intrinsically and genuinely innocent and caring littlun, is described as having “eyes so bright they deceived Ralph into thinking [Simon] delightfully gay and wicked” (55). Simon’s actions reflect the “brightness” of his eyes, as he feels incline

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