Civilisation Versus Savagery in Lord of the Flies Essay

In Lord of the Flies there is a theme of civilization vs. savagery. The boys were the product of a civilized world. As soon as they drifted onto the island they did not automatically turn into wild savages. It was caused by hunger and mostly the desire to be part of the majority. No one likes being the odd man out.

So, for this project I chose to compare the governments of Ralph and Jack. The boys governments differ greatly. Ralphs government represents democracy. Ralph is using modern civilization as a model for what government should be in place on the island. Overall Ralphs government had better goals, rules, more effectiveness, and fairness than Jacks government. The symbol of democracy in the book is the conch shell. Ralph and Piggy find the conch shell on the beach in the beginning of the novel. They then used it to call all the boys together after the crash. The boy who holds the shell can speak. It is the only trace of civilization on the island. As long as the conch was still there, there still was a hint of democracy on the island. But as Piggy gets pummeled by the bolder, so does the conch and the existence of democracy, civilization and cooperation on the island. This is where Ralph sees that he as failed and that evil that exists in every human has taken over those boys in Jacks camp.

In Jacks government we see the wild, evil side in all humans. Jacks government represents dictatorship, savagery and anarchy. Jack caused all of the boys to forget every thing that society had taught them and to throw away all their morals. He caused them to revert to their natural savage ways. He wanted authority more than anything else on the

island. He loved power and violence, which was obviously, a horrible combination. Jack

learned to use the boys' fear of the beast to control them. A symbol of Jacks evil power is the boars head that Jack put on a sharpened stick or the Lord of the Flies. It shows how Jack was powerful by killing the boar and how he could do whatever he wants. It also represents the devil in all of us. His government did not have legitimate goals, rules, or any fairness. But this government was effective.

On the issue of goals, the two different governments had very different views. Ralph actually had the best interest of the boys in mind. He wanted to get the boys off the island as soon as possible. When they first drifted on the island, they all wanted to leave. But, Jack had manipulated them making them want to stay and be bloodthirsty savages. Obviously, these two goals conflicted. Ralph wanted to keep a signal fire on 24/7 on the chance of a naval ship passing by, it would be visible and they would be rescued. That chance happening did occur and while Jacks hunters were out chasing pigs. They had the responsibility was to keep the signal fire going but had not keep their promise of maintaining the fire. So when the ship passed, they did not notice the boys. If the signal fire was lit, the boys would have been rescued and the lives of Simon and Piggy would have both been spared. When it comes to Jacks governments goals, they were nonexistent. All he wanted to accomplish was running around the forest killing boars like cavemen. Jacks hunters had no desire to get rescued.

Another way the two governments differed was in their rules. In Jacks government, there were no rules. But they did have to do whatever Jack said to do. This is why Jacks government was a dictatorship. He unfairly made his followers do things that were wrong and went against their morals. On the other hand Ralph had rules that would have ensured the rescue of the boys. Ralphs rules all started with the conch shell. There was a rule that whoever was holding the conch could speak. Another rule that Ralph instilled was that the hunters should constantly watch the signal fire and keep it going. This was a simple fair request. Ralphs government represents the way our government is structured the most. He had certain reasonable rules that are needed for a working government.

One way the governments of Ralph and Jack were similar was in their effectiveness. By all accounts both governments were effective in the way they governed. In my opinion,

Jack was a very effective leader. He might not have been the nicest but he certainly was an effective leader. Whatever he told his hunters to do, they did. This is why what the type of government that Jack created was a dictatorship. A dictatorship is defined as a form of government in which the ruler is absolute in not being restricted by a constitution or laws or opposition. Jack did whatever he wanted whenever and his hunters followed. Like most dictators in history he had been pretty ruthless. Ralphs government was effective also. Ralph did many things that would make their rescue come sooner. The signal fire and the conch which represented democracy are some of the things that Ralphs government used as tools for their rescue. Democracy is defined as a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system. Ralph won the majority vote and let everyone have a say. If Jack had not created a mutiny, Ralph would have been able to lead more effectively and the deaths of Simon and Piggy would not have occurred. They would have been rescued and the savages in the boys would never have come out.

Finally, the two governments differed when it came to fairness. Obviously, Ralph was the most fair. Ralph cared about what everyone thought and believed. That is why he created the whole system with the conch shell. He was also fair in that he did not force anyone to do anything that they did not want to do. However, Jack was not as just as him. Jack did what ever he wanted without giving any consideration of how his hunters felt about it. He did not value their opinions at all. He ruled with an iron fist, doing whatever he had to get what he wanted.

In conclusion, the two boys governments were not that much alike. They differed in the categories of goals rule and fairness. The only group they were similar in was effectiveness. Overall these different governments caused the outcome of the book and caused the deaths of two of their own.