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Civilisation and morality: William Golding. Golding’s

moral interrogations of civilization and savagery:

Lord of the Flies

About Lord of the Flies

History of Lord of the Flies

Golding wrote Lord of the Flies in 1954, less than a decade after World War II,

when the world was in the midst of the Cold War. The atrocities of the

Holocaust, the horric eects of the atomic !om!, and the ominous threat of

the Communist demon !ehind the Iron Curtain were all "resent in the minds

of the western "u!lic and the author. This en#ironment of fear com!ined with

technolog$%s ra"id ad#ances act as a !ac&dro" to the island e'"eriences( the

shot)down "lane, for e'am"le, and the !o$s% concern that the *+eds* might

nd them !efore the ritish do.

Historicall$, in times of wides"read socio)economic distress, the general

"u!lic feels itself #ulnera!le and turns to the leader who e'hi!its the moststrength or seems to oer the most "rotection. InLord of the Flies, -ac& and

the hunters, who oer the lu'ur$ of meat and the comforts of a dictatorshi",

ll that role. In e'change for his "rotection, the other !o$s sacrice an$

moral reser#ations the$ ma$ ha#e a!out his "olicies and enthusiasticall$

"ersecute the !o$s who resist oining their tri!e.

ased u"on his wartime e'"eriences in the ritish /a#$, Golding asserted

that the unlimited !rutalit$ shown !$ the /a0is was a ca"acit$ not limited to

Germans or indeed to an$ "articular grou". While the world was horried !$

news of the /a0i death cam"s, Golding felt that none of the nations was too

far from committing atrocities of the same magnitude. ccording to Golding,

human&ind%s "ro"ensit$ toward e#il and #iolence cou"led with the

*"s$cholog$ of fear* moti#ates humanit$ to act in unconsciona!le wa$s.

When the 2nited 3tates used the atomic !om! in -a"an, more than 1,

"eo"le were &illed in three da$s !$ dro""ing two !om!s. #erall, a total of

55 million "eo"le lost their li#es in World War II. 3uch catastro"hic #iolence

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and loss of life was clearl$ not lost on Golding( n atomic war causes the

!o$s% e#acuation in Lord of the Flies, and the sign from the world of

grownu"s that the !o$s so wish for turns out to !e the !od$ of a dead

"aratroo"er, 6oating down from an aerial !attle.

Culture and Human Nature

s all authors use their life and times as reference "oints in theirwor&s,William Golding drew hea#il$ on the social)religious)cultural)militar$

ethos of his times. Lord of the Flies is an allegorical microcosm of the worldGolding &new and "artici"ated in. The island and the !o$s and man$ othero!ects and e#ents in the wor& re"resent Golding%s #iew of the world andhuman&ind in general and some characteristics or #alues found in ritishculture s"ecicall$.

3ignicant "ersonal life e'"eriences sha"ed the author and therefore his

wor&. Golding s"ent two $ears as a science student at 'ford 2ni#ersit$

!efore he a!orted his "ursuit of science for a degree in 7nglish literature, his

rst ste" toward a reection of the scientic rationalism es"oused !$ his

father. Ha#ing oined the ritish +o$al /a#$ when World War II !egan,Golding was in#ol#ed in the in#asion of /ormand$ on 8)8a$.

s a s$nthesis of Golding%s life e'"eriences, ord of the :lies in#estigates

three &e$ as"ects of the human e'"erience that form the !asis of what the

author wants to con#e$( ;1< The desire for social and "olitical order through

"arliaments, go#ernments, and legislatures ;re"resented !$ the "latform and

the conch<. ;=< The natural inclination toward e#il and #iolence, manifested in

e#er$ countr$%s need for a militar$ ;re"resented !$ the choir)!o$s)turned)

hunters)turned)murderers and in the war going on in the world !e$ond the

island<> and ;?< The !elief in su"ernatural or di#ine inter#ention in humandestin$ ;re"resented !$ the ceremonial dances and sacrices intended to

a""ease the *!east*<.

$ u'ta"osing the e#il, aggressi#e nature of the degenerating !o$s with the

"ro"er reser#e and ci#ilit$ of the ritish "ersona that their cultural

!ac&ground im"lies, Golding "laces the !o$s in a series of life e'"eriences

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that lead some ;li&e -ac&< dee"er into their de"ra#ed "s$che, and some

;li&e +al"h<, who recogni0e the inclination toward e#il in themsel#es, to an

e"i"han$ of self)disco#er$. 3uch an e"i"han$ is the onl$ ho"e for human&ind

to esca"e from itself.

oo& 3ummar$

Lord of the Flies e'"lores the dar& side of humanit$, the sa#ager$ that

underlies e#en the most ci#ili0ed human !eings.William Golding intended

this no#el as a tragic "arod$ of children%s ad#enture tales, illustrating

human&ind%s intrinsic e#il nature. He "resents the reader with a chronolog$

of e#ents leading a grou" of $oung !o$s from ho"e to disaster as the$

attem"t to sur#i#e their unci#ili0ed, unsu"er#ised, isolated en#ironment until

rescued.

In the midst of a nuclear war, a grou" of ritish !o$s nd themsel#es

stranded without adult su"er#ision on a tro"ical island. The grou" is roughl$

di#ided into the *littluns,* !o$s around the age of si', and the *!iguns,* who

are !etween the ages of ten and twel#e. Initiall$, the !o$s attem"t to form a

culture similar to the one the$ left !ehind. The$ elect a leader, +al"h, who,

with the ad#ice and su""ort of @igg$;the intellectual of the grou"<, stri#es to

esta!lish rules for housing and sanitation. +al"h also ma&es a signal re the

grou"%s rst "riorit$, ho"ing that a "assing shi" will see the smo&e signal and

rescue them. maor challenge to +al"h%s leadershi" is -ac&, who also wants

to lead. -ac& commands a grou" of choir!o$s)turned)hunters who sacrice

the dut$ of tending the re so that the$ can "artici"ate in the hunts. -ac&

draws the other !o$s slowl$ awa$ from +al"h%s in6uence !ecause of their

natural attraction to and inclination toward the ad#enturous hunting

acti#ities s$m!oli0ing #iolence and e#il.

 The con6ict !etween -ac& and +al"h A and the forces of sa#ager$ and

ci#ili0ation that the$ re"resent A is e'acer!ated !$ the !o$s% literal fear of a

m$thical !east roaming the island. ne night, an aerial !attle occurs a!o#ethe island, and a casualt$ of the !attle 6oats down with his o"ened

"arachute, ultimatel$ coming to rest on the mountainto". ree0es

occasionall$ in6ate the "arachute, ma&ing the !od$ a""ear to sit u" and

then sin& forward again. This sight "anics the !o$s as the$ mista&e the dead

!od$ for the !east the$ fear. In a reaction to this "anic, -ac& forms a s"linter

grou" that is e#entuall$ oined !$ all !ut a few of the !o$s. The !o$s who oin

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 -ac& are enticed !$ the "rotection -ac&%s ferocit$ seems to "ro#ide, as well as

!$ the "ros"ect of "la$ing the role of sa#ages( "utting on camou6aging face

"aint, hunting, and "erforming ritualistic tri!al dances. 7#entuall$, -ac&%s

grou" actuall$ slaughters a sow and, as an oering to the !east, "uts the

sow%s head on a stic&.

f all the !o$s, onl$ the m$stic 3imon has the courage to disco#er the true

identit$ of the !east sighted on the mountain. fter witnessing the death of

the sow and the gift made of her head to the !east, 3imon !egins to

hallucinate, and the sta&ed sow%s head !ecomes the ord of the :lies,

im"arting to 3imon what he has alread$ sus"ected( The !east is not an

animal on the loose !ut is hidden in each !o$%s "s$che. Wea&ened !$ his

horric #ision, 3imon loses consciousness.

+eco#ering later that e#ening, he struggles to the mountainto" and ndsthat the !east is onl$ a dead "ilotBsoldier. ttem"ting to !ring the news to

the other !o$s, he stum!les into the tri!al fren0$ of their dance. @ercei#ing

him as the !east, the !o$s !eat him to death.

3oon onl$ three of the older !o$s, including @igg$, are still in +al"h%s cam".

 -ac&%s grou" steals @igg$%s glasses to start its coo&ing res, lea#ing +al"h

una!le to maintain his signal re. When +al"h and his small grou" a""roach

 -ac&%s tri!e to reuest the return of the glasses, one of -ac&%s hunters

releases a huge !oulder on @igg$, &illing him. The tri!e ca"tures the other

two !iguns "risoners, lea#ing +al"h on his own.

 The tri!e underta&es a manhunt to trac& down and &ill +al"h, and the$ start

a re to smo&e him out of one of his hiding "laces, creating an island)wide

forest re. "assing shi" sees the smo&e from the re, and a ritish na#al

oDcer arri#es on the !each ust in time to sa#e +al"h from certain death at

the hands of the school!o$s turned sa#ages.

Civilization vs. Savagery

 The central concern of Lord of the Flies is the con6ict !etween twocom"eting im"ulses that e'ist within all human !eings( the instinct to li#e !$rules, act "eacefull$, follow moral commands, and #alue the good of thegrou" against the instinct to gratif$ oneEs immediate desires, act #iolentl$ too!tain su"remac$ o#er others, and enforce oneEs will. This con6ict might !ee'"ressed in a num!er of wa$s( ci#ili0ation #s. sa#ager$, order #s. chaos,

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reason #s. im"ulse, law #s. anarch$, or the !roader heading of good #s. e#il. Throughout the no#el, Golding associates the instinct of ci#ili0ation with goodand the instinct of sa#ager$ with e#il. The con6ict !etween the two instincts is the dri#ing force of the no#el,e'"lored through the dissolution of the $oung 7nglish !o$sE ci#ili0ed, moral,

disci"lined !eha#ior as the$ accustom themsel#es to a wild, !rutal, !ar!ariclife in the ungle.Lord of the Flies is an allegorical no#el, which means thatGolding con#e$s man$ of his main ideas and themes through s$m!oliccharacters and o!ects. He re"resents the con6ict !etween ci#ili0ation andsa#ager$ in the con6ict !etween the no#elEs two main characters( +al"h, the"rotagonist, who re"resents order and leadershi"> and -ac&, the antagonist,who re"resents sa#ager$ and the desire for "ower.Fost societies set u" mechanisms to channel aggressi#e im"ulses into

"roducti#e enter"rises or "roects. n the island, -ac&%s hunters are

successful in "ro#iding meat for the grou" !ecause the$ ta" into their innate

a!ilit$ to commit #iolence. To the e'tent that this #iolence is a reasoned

res"onse to the grou"%s needs ;for e'am"le, to feed for the "o"ulation<, it

"roduces "ositi#e eects and outcomes. Howe#er, when the #iolence

!ecomes the moti#ator and the desired outcome lac&s social or moral #alue

!e$ond itself, as it does with the hunters, at that "oint the #iolence !ecomes

e#il, sa#age, and dia!olical.

iolence continues to e'ist in modern societ$ and is institutionali0ed in the

militar$ and "olitics. Golding de#elo"s this theme !$ ha#ing his characters

esta!lish a democratic assem!l$, which is greatl$ aected !$ the #er!al

#iolence of -ac&%s "ower)"la$s, and an arm$ of hunters, which ultimatel$forms a small militar$ dictatorshi". The !o$s% assem!lies are li&ened to !oth

ends of the social or ci#il s"ectrum, from "re)#er!al tri!e gatherings to

modern go#ernmental institutions, indicating that while the forum for "olitics

has changed o#er the millennia, the d$namic remains the same.

Consider the emotional !asis of the !o$s% choice of leaders( Initiall$ the$ #ote

for +al"h not !ecause he has demonstrated leadershi" s&ills !ut !ecause of

his charisma and ar!itrar$ "ossession of the conch. ater the$ desert him A

and the reasoned democrac$ he "romotes A to oin -ac&%s tri!e !ecause

 -ac&%s wa$ of life, with the war "aint and rituali0ed dance, seems li&e morefun. Choosing -ac&%s *fun* tri!e indicates a dangerous le#el of emotionall$

!ased self)indulgence. $ rel$ing on emotion to decide the island%s "olitical

format, the !o$s o"en themsel#es u" to the "ossi!ilit$ of #iolence !ecause

#iolence lies in the domain of emotion.

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s the no#el "rogresses, Golding shows how dierent "eo"le feel the

in6uences of the instincts of ci#ili0ation and sa#ager$ to dierent degrees.

@igg$, for instance, has no sa#age feelings, while +oger seems !arel$

ca"a!le of com"rehending the rules of ci#ili0ation. Generall$, howe#er,

Golding im"lies that the instinct of sa#ager$ is far more "rimal and

fundamental to the human "s$che than the instinct of ci#ili0ation. Golding

sees moral !eha#ior, in man$ cases, as something that ci#ili0ation forces

u"on the indi#idual rather than a natural e'"ression of human indi#idualit$.

When left to their own de#ices, Golding im"lies, "eo"le naturall$ re#ert to

cruelt$, sa#ager$, and !ar!arism. This idea of innate human e#il is central

to Lord of the Flies, and nds e'"ression in se#eral im"ortant s$m!ols, most

nota!l$ the !east and the sowEs head on the sta&e. mong all the characters,

onl$ 3imon seems to "ossess an$thing li&e a natural, innate goodness.

s the !o$s on the island "rogress from well)!eha#ed, orderl$ childrenlonging for rescue to cruel, !loodthirst$ hunters who ha#e no desire to return

to ci#ili0ation, the$ naturall$ lose the sense of innocence that the$ "ossessed

at the !eginning of the no#el. The "ainted sa#ages in Cha"ter 1= who ha#e

hunted, tortured, and &illed animals and human !eings are a far cr$ from the

guileless children swimming in the lagoon in Cha"ter ?. ut Golding does not

"ortra$ this loss of innocence as something that is done to the children>

rather, it results naturall$ from their increasing o"enness to the innate e#il

and sa#ager$ that has alwa$s e'isted within them. Golding im"lies that

ci#ili0ation can mitigate !ut ne#er wi"e out the innate e#il that e'ists within

all human !eings. The forest glade in which 3imon sits in Cha"ter ?

s$m!oli0es this loss of innocence. t rst, it is a "lace of natural !eaut$ and

"eace, !ut when 3imon returns later in the no#el, he disco#ers the !lood$

sowEs head im"aled u"on a sta&e in the middle of the clearing. The !lood$

oering to the !east has disru"ted the "aradise that e'isted !eforeAa

"owerful s$m!ol of innate human e#il disru"ting childhood innocence.

Golding uses the !o$s% fear of a m$thical !east to illustrate their assum"tion

that e#il arises from e'ternal forces rather than from themsel#es. This

fearsome !east initiall$ ta&es form in their imaginations as a sna&e)t$"eanimal that disguises itself as ungle #ines> later, the$ consider the "ossi!ilit$

of a creature that rises from the sea or the more ne!ulous entit$ of a ghost.

When the$ s"ot the dead "aratroo"er who has landed on the mountain, the

!o$s feel sure that the$ ha#e "roof of a !east%s e'istence. In fact a !east

does roam the island, !ut not in the form the !o$s imagine.

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Golding wanted to illustrate in this no#el the dar& side of human nature and

ma&e the "oint that each mem!er of human&ind has this dar& side. The !o$s

conce"tuali0e the source of all their worst im"ulses as a !east, some sort of

actual animal or "ossi!l$ su"ernatural creature inha!iting the island. et all

along the !o$s ta&e on the "ersona of the !east when the$ act on their

animal im"ulses. There is no e'ternal !east.

Golding con#e$s the !east%s identit$ through the literal actions of -ac&and his

tri!e and through the a!stract conce"t con#e$ed in 3imon%s #ision. 3imon%s

re#elation a!out the !east comes u"on him after he witnesses the sow%s

death and !eheading. s an o!ser#er instead of a "artici"ant, 3imon is a!le

to com"rehend the !rutalit$ of the act. The sow%s head !ecomes co#ered

with 6ies, creatures that lac& the ca"acit$ to feel com"assion for or em"ath$

with the dead sow, occu"ied entirel$ !$ their need to eat and multi"l$. That

com"assion is one of the &e$ di#iders !etween humanit$ and animalit$>tellingl$, -ac& lac&s com"assion for the littluns and the #ulnera!le @igg$.

3oon his hunters lose their com"assion as well, see&ing onl$ to hunt meat

and increase the num!ers of their tri!e or &ill those who will not oin.

When 3imon hallucinates that the sta&ed head is s"ea&ing to him, his

"erce"tion of the other !o$s as the island%s true threat is conrmed. The ord

of the :lies conrms that *ou &new, didn%t $ou I%m "art of $ou Close, close,

closeJ I%m the reason wh$ it%s no go Wh$ things are what the$ are*

 -ac& "ro#ides more insight into the !east%s identit$ when he asserts that *The!east is a hunter,* unwittingl$ im"licating himself as "art of the "ro!lem, a

source of the !o$s% fears. His lust for "ower and authorit$ causes him to

commit and encourage sa#age acts against his own &ind A an accurate

measure of his de"ra#it$. 3itting in front of his tri!e, *@ower . . . chattered in

his ear li&e an a"e.* The gurati#e de#il on his shoulder is his own animalit$,

loo&ing to master other creatures.

Golding "airs the de#olution of -ac&%s character with 3imon%s hallucinator$

re#elation to "aint a com"lete "icture of human&ind%s dar& side A that which

the !o$s call *the !east.*

@art of Golding%s intent was to demonstrate that the e#il is not restricted to

s"ecic "o"ulations or situations. n the island, the !east is manifest in the

deadl$ tri!al dances, war "aint, and the manhunt> in the outside world that

same lust for "ower and control "la$s out as a nuclear war. @rior to the war,

some of the !o$s, such as the "er"etuall$ #ictimi0ed @igg$, e'"erienced the

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!rutalit$ of others on the "la$ground, an en#ironment often ideali0ed as the

 o$ous site of a carefree childhood. Within ci#ili0ed societ$ the !east

e'"resses itself in #arious wa$s( through acce"ta!le #enues such as the

militar$> in unacce"ta!le forms such as madness or criminalit$, which carries

"uniti#e re"ercussions> or concealed in the maneu#ers of "olitics and other

non#iolent "ower "la$s. In Lord of the Flies Golding illustrates that e#il is

"resent in e#er$one and e#er$where> human&ind%s wor& lies not in the

im"ossi!le mission of eradicating it !ut in the struggle to &ee" it from

!ecoming the dominant force in our li#es.

Character nal$sis +al"h

+al"h re"resents leadershi", the "ro"erl$ sociali0ed and ci#ili0ed $oung man.

He is attracti#e, charismatic, and decentl$ intelligent. He demonstrates

o!#ious common sense. +al"h is the one who concei#es the meeting "lace,

the re, and the huts. He s$nthesi0es and a""lies @igg$%s intellectualism, and

he recogni0es the false fears and su"erstitions as !arriers to their sur#i#al.

He is a di"lomat and a natural leader.

+al"h%s ca"acit$ for leadershi" is e#ident from the #er$ !eginning ;he is the

onl$ elected leader of the !o$s<. While most of the other !o$s initiall$ are

concerned with "la$ing, ha#ing fun, and a#oiding wor&, +al"h sets a!out

!uilding huts and thin&ing of wa$s to ma'imi0e their chances of !eingrescued. :or this reason, +al"hEs "ower and in6uence o#er the other !o$s are

secure at the !eginning of the no#el. 8uring the crisis caused !$ the sight of

the dead "aratroo"er on the mountain, +al"h is a!le to "roceed with !oth

sense and caution. He wor&s #igilantl$ to &ee" the grou"%s focus on the ho"e

for rescue. When the time comes to in#estigate the castle roc&, +al"h ta&es

the lead alone, des"ite his fear of the so)called !east. 7#en in this tense

moment, "oliteness is his default. When 3imon mum!les that he doesn%t

!elie#e in the !east, +al"h *answered him "olitel$, as if agreeing a!out the

weather.* ritish culture is famed for ci#ili0ed reser#e in emotional times. $

the standards of the societ$ he%s left !ehind, +al"h is a gentleman.

Ha#ing started with a school!o$%s romantic attitude toward antici"ated

*ad#entures* on the island, +al"h e#entuall$ loses his e'citement a!out their

inde"endence and longs for the comfort of the familiar. He indulges in

images of home, recollections of the "eaceful life of cereal and cream and

children%s !oo&s he had once &nown. He fantasi0es a!out !athing and

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grooming. +al"h%s earlier life had !een ci#ili0ed, and he !rought to the island

innocent e'"ectations and condence until certain e'"eriences informed his

nai#etK and destro$ed his innocence. s he gains e'"erience with the

assem!lies, the forum for ci#ili0ed discourse, he loses faith in them. *8on%t

we lo#e meetings* +al"h sa$s !itterl$, frustrated that onl$ a few of the !o$s

actuall$ follow through on their "lans.

#er time, +al"h starts to lose his "ower of organi0ed thought, such as when

he struggles to de#elo" an agenda for the meeting !ut nds himself lost in

an inarticulate ma0e of #ague thoughts. +al"h%s loss of #er!al a!ilit$ !odes ill

for the grou" !ecause his authorit$ lies in the "latform, the s$m!ol of

collecti#e go#ernance and "ro!lem sol#ing where #er!al communication is

the "rimar$ tool. +al"h%s mental wor&ings are su!ect to the same deca$ as

his clothing> !oth are fra$ed !$ the rigors of the "rimiti#e life. et in res"onse

to the crisis of the lost rescue o""ortunit$, +al"h demonstrates his ca"acitiesas a conce"tual thin&er.

When *with a con#ulsion of the mind, +al"h disco#ered dirt and deca$,* he is

s$m!olicall$ disco#ering human&ind%s dar& side. t the same time, he has

learned that intellect, reason, sensiti#it$, and em"ath$ are the tools for

holding the e#il at !a$. +al"h%s awareness is e#ident when, reali0ing the

diDcult$ of this lifest$le in contrast to his initial im"ression of its glamour, he

*smiled eeringl$,* as an adult might loo& !ac& with c$nicism on the ideals

held as a $outh.

In the earlier "arts of the no#el, +al"h is una!le to understand wh$ the other

!o$s would gi#e in to !ase instincts of !loodlust and !ar!arism. The sight of

the hunters chanting and dancing is !aLing and distasteful to him. +al"h

remains determined not to let this sa#ager$ )o#erwhelm him, and onl$ !rie6$

does he consider oining -ac&Es tri!e in order to sa#e himself.

+al"hEs commitment to ci#ili0ation and moralit$ is strong, and his main wish

is to !e rescued and returned to the societ$ of adults. In a sense, this

strength gi#es +al"h a moral #ictor$ at the end of the no#el, when he casts

the ord of the :lies to the ground and ta&es u" the sta&e it is im"aled on to

defend himself against -ac&Es hunters.

lthough he !ecomes worn down !$ the hardshi"s and fears of "rimiti#e life

and is graduall$ infected !$ the sa#ager$ of the other !o$s, +al"h is the onl$

character who identies 3imon%s death as murder and has a realistic,

un#arnished #iew of his "artici"ation. He feels !oth loathing and e'citement

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o#er the &ill he witnessed. nce +al"h !ecomes "re$, he reali0es that he is

an outcast *Cos I had some sense* A not ust common sense !ut a sense of

his identit$ as a ci#ili0ed "erson, a sense of the "articular moralit$ that had

go#erned the !o$s% culture !ac& home.

When +al"h encounters the oDcer on the !each at the end of the !oo&, he isnot relie#ed at !eing rescued from a certain grisl$ death !ut discomforted

o#er *his lth$ a""earance,* an indication that his ci#ilit$ had endured his

ordeal. In e'change for his innocence, he has gained an understanding of

human&ind%s natural character, an understanding not heretofore a#aila!le to

him( that e#il is uni#ersall$ "resent in all "eo"le and reuires a constant

resistance !$ the intellect that was @igg$, !$ the m$sticism and s"iritualism

that was 3imon, and !$ the ho"es and dreams that are his.

Character nal$sis -ac&

 -ac& re"resents e#il and #iolence, the dar& side of human nature. former

choirmaster and *head !o$* at his school, he arri#ed on the island ha#ing

e'"erienced some success in e'erting control o#er others !$ dominating the

choir with his militaristic attitude. He is eager to ma&e rules and "unish those

who !rea& them, although he consistentl$ !rea&s them himself when he

needs to further his own interests. His main interest is hunting, an endea#or

that !egins with the desire for meat and !uilds to the o#erwhelming urge tomaster and &ill other li#ing creatures. Hunting de#elo"s the sa#ager$ that

alread$ ran close to his surface, ma&ing him *a"e)li&e* as he "rowls through

the ungle. His domain is the emotions, which rule and fuel his animal nature.

 The con6ict on the island !egins with -ac& attem"ting to dominate the grou"

rather than wor&ing with +al"h to !enet it. He freuentl$ im"ugns the

"ower of the conch, declaring that the conch rule does not matter on certain

"arts of the island. et he uses the conch to his ad#antage when "ossi!le,

such as when he calls his own assem!l$ to im"each +al"h. :or him, the

conch re"resents the rules and !oundaries that ha#e &e"t him from acting onthe im"ulses to dominate others. Their entire li#es in the other world, the

!o$s had !een moderated !$ rules set !$ societ$ against "h$sical

aggression. n the island, howe#er, that social conditioning fades ra"idl$

from -ac&%s character. He uic&l$ loses interest in that world of "oliteness and

!oundaries, which is wh$ he feels no com"unction to &ee" the re going or

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attend to an$ of the other res"onsi!ilities for the !etterment or sur#i#al of

the grou".

 The dictator in -ac& !ecomes dominant in his "ersonalit$ during the "anic

o#er the !east sighting on the mountain. In tr$ing to get +al"h im"eached,

he uses his rhetorical s&ills to twist +al"h%s words. In defense, he oers to thegrou" a rationale that *He%d ne#er ha#e got us meat,* asserting that hunting

s&ills ma&e for an eecti#e leader. -ac& assigns a high #alue onl$ to those

who he nds useful or agreea!le to his #iews and loo&s to silence those who

do not "lease him. 8enouncing the rules of order, -ac& declares, *We don%t

need the conch an$ more. We &now who ought to sa$ things.* He dictates to

his hunters that the$ forget the !east and that the$ sto" ha#ing nightmares.

s -ac& stri#es to esta!lish his leadershi", he ta&es on the title of *chief* and

reinforces the illusion of station and "ower !$ using the other !o$sceremoniousl$ as standard !earers who raise their s"ears together and

announce *The Chief has s"o&en.* This role is no game for him, though> !$

the night of 3imon%s death, -ac& has clearl$ gone "ower)mad, sitting at the

"ig roast on a large log *"ainted and garlanded . . . li&e an idol* while

*M"Nower . . . chattered in his ear li&e an a"e.* His tri!e addresses him as

*Chief,* indicating a form of more "rimiti#e tri!al leadershi".

 True to @igg$%s assertion that *It%s them that ha#en%t no common sense that

ma&e trou!le on this island,* -ac& ta&es an entirel$ dierent direction from

logic or common sense. @erha"s acting out of some guilt he is una!le toac&nowledge, -ac& !ecomes "aranoid and !egins feeding misinformation to

his tri!e, a t$"ical "ractice of dictatorshi"s to control the collecti#e thin&ing

!$ controlling the information that is disseminated.

Gi#en the thrill of *irres"onsi!le authorit$* he%s e'"erienced on the island,

 -ac&%s return to ci#ili0ation is con6icted. When the na#al oDcer as&s who is in

charge, -ac& starts to ste" forward to challenge +al"h%s claim of leadershi"

!ut is sto""ed "erha"s !$ the recognition that now the old rules will !e

enforced.

Golding does see& to "ro#ide a lesson in moralit$, !ut the lesson lac&s the

straightforward and decisi#e tone of the "ro#er! that concludes most fa!les.

t the end of Golding%s fa!le, the reader has learned not that e#il is conned

to the militaristic "ortion of the "o"ulation as e"itomi0ed !$ -ac&> the "acist

+al"h "artici"ated in some of the !rutal tri!al acti#ities. /either has the

reader learned that science or e#en sim"le common sense will sa#e

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humanit$ from itself> @igg$ is ridiculed throughout and then &illed. F$stical

re#elations or #isionar$ insight into the human condition will not sa#e us>

consider the fate of the saintl$ 3imon. Instead the reader learns that e#il

li#es in us all, and there is no "ro#er! to remed$ that situation. $ in#o&ing

the com"le'it$ that underlies human nature, Golding%s tale !rings de"th to

the fa!le structure and "resents a com"le' moral lesson as well.