The novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding is all about a civilized society that takes a tragic turn towards savagery. At the beginning of the novel, the boys make an honest attempt to create rules and order. The conch is used to call assemblies and to let people express their opinions by speaking one at a time. Furthermore, all the boys are assigned specific tasks and chores that they are in charge of. There are also rules about where to eat, where to go to the bathroom and about how the signal fire must be always burning.
Unfortunately, it does not take long before these rules start being disobeyed. When the boys start breaking the rules, their whole society begins to fall apart. The boys’ society changes for the worst in the novel Lord of the Flies (THESIS). This unfortunate change can be better understood by discussing three important events from the novel: when the hunters first let the signal fire out (SUPPORTING IDEA #1), when the hunters begin to wear face paint (SUPPORTING IDEA #2), and when Simon is killed (SUPPORTING IDEA #3).
The first event that proves that the boys’ society is changing for the worst is when the hunters let the signal fire burn out. When Jack decides that he needs all his hunters’ help in catching the pig, no one is left to watch the fire. This is very significant because during this time, a ship passes the island. First of all, the fire represents the connection that the boys have with civilization; as long as the fire is burning, there is hope for rescue. Therefore, the hope for rescue and the connection to civilization are both lost when the fire dies.
With both of these things gone, the society that the boys first strive for begins to slowly slip away. Secondly, when the hunters fail to do their job of keeping the fire going, this makes Ralph very upset. Ralph knows how important the fire is in terms of getting rescued and he yells at Jack, “There was a ship. Out there. You said you’d keep the fire going and you let it out! ” (Golding 74). Jack and Ralph are no longer in agreement with what is important, and without this cooperation, things start to fall apart on the island.
Finally, Ralph confronting Jack about letting the fire out is what initiates Ralph and Jack’s hostility towards each other; this antagonism eventually makes Ralph lose his support as chief, which is yet another reason why the society changes for the worst. Another incident in the novel that proves how the boys’ world takes a turn for the worst is when the boys begin to wear face paint. Is this paragraph, you would continue to discuss how face painting and wearing a mask contribute to the downfall of the society on the island.
You need to quote at least once from the novel in this paragraph. Finally, Simon’s death is another important event that illustrates the breakdown of the boys’ society. In this paragraph, you would continue to discuss how Simon’s murder is another example that represents the downfall of the island’s society. You need to quote at least once from the novel in this paragraph. It is unfortunate that the boys are not able to maintain the rules and order that they create at the beginning of the novel.
Their effort of maintaining a civilized society does not last for very long. By examining specific events from the novel, like when Jack’s hunters first let the signal fire out, when the boys begin to paint their faces, and when Simon is murdered, it becomes very clear that the society on the island is changing and breaking down. There are many other events that prove this breakdown. Clearly, Golding is sending the reader a rather shocking message about human nature, and that it does not take long for humans to destroy a world of civilization.
