Chivalry

"The defects of Society can be traced back to the defects of human nature"

-William Golding

The defects of society and how it relates to the defects of human nature can be explained by the savagery that drives the defects of society, and the same savagery that drives the defects of human nature. Civilization is what separates man from animals. When civilization disintegrates, man resorts to bestiality and savagery.

I agree with Golding's interpretation of humanity. There have been instances in history proving his statement. In my opinion, one such instance was the Holocaust during World War II. Not only did this event show how brutal men can be towards one another, but it also shows that when men are unified in a group, their actions no matter how inhumane and brutal can be justified as for the betterment of the group. This relates to The Lord of the Flies because you can compare Jack and his hunters to Hitler and the Nazi army. Jack, like Hitler capitalizes on peoples fear, and manipulates it in order to gain power and control. The Holocaust also relates to when Jack and his hunters killed Simon. Like the Holocaust, when Simon was killed it came in a time of fear and anxiety. Using the fear as fuel, Jack and the hunters killed Simon without thinking of the consequences.

Savagery does not always happen in savage conditions. It can happen in the most cultured and refined places. In The Lord of the Flies' case it happened on a beautiful tropical island. When Golding chose the setting for the book, he chose the island because when you think of an island, you get a picture of palm trees, sandy beaches and clear water. But the island has a dark (evil) side, represented by the jungle. This going along with the theme of the book relates