Theme of Civilization in Lord of the Flies Essay Example

Everyone has their roles in society, but for any civilization to flourish, one thing needs to be present: science and logic. In William Golding’s 1954 novel Lord of the Flies, Golding explores what it takes to create a prosperous civilization. When British schoolboys get stranded on an island, the boys are left to produce a way of life until they get rescued. One of the boys is named Ralph, and he gets elected leader. He portrays many physical attributes plus leadership qualities that please the boys, but he doesn’t have the brains to carry them. Another boy, Piggy, who is the master-mind in all things science and logic, will conduct Ralph in his ways until he can no longer. Piggy’s strengths become significant the more time that goes by on the island. In this novel, Piggy uses his smarts to guide Ralph in leading this new society, proving that for a civilization to be entirely successful and ordered, logic and reasoning are needed. 

Piggy’s knowledge portrayed from the start will place him in his role in this upcoming society making him an underappreciated necessity. At the beginning of Lord of the Flies, they have just landed on this island. Piggy spots a conch shell in a lake, and he comes up with an idea to use it to call the other survivors of the plane wreck. Though Piggy knows how to use it, he cannot blow into the conch due to restraints. Piggy directs Ralph in using it by stating, “He kind of spat. My auntie wouldn’t let me blow on account of my asthma. He said you blew from down here.’ Piggy laid a hand on his jutting abdomen” (16). This partnership that happens promptly to them getting stranded with Ralph carrying out Piggy’s smarts is seen repeatedly from thereon. The conch will begin to symbolize civility. The act of Piggy spotting it and knowing how to use it but cannot carry out the actions due to physical restraints will hamper him throughout the book. The boys use Piggy's lack of physicality against him and will continue to because the boys are not aware yet of how significant his role is. Furthermore, Ralph will begin to be more aware of Piggy’s strength in knowledge and how he is a necessity. Weeks have gone by on this island without any connection from the outside world. This lengthy period allows Ralph to think about the different roles of the boys. Golding tells us how Ralph came to a realization, “Piggy could think, He could go step by step inside that fat head of his, only Piggy was no chief. But Piggy, for all his ludicrous body, had brains” (78). Ralph is now aware of how important Piggy is, and this awareness will allow them to become an iconic duo similar to the brains and the brawn. Ralph acknowledging Piggy's strength will support this civilization because Piggy will help to guide Ralph in his actions, enabling him to lead successfully. Another aspect where Piggy is helping steer Ralph in leading the boys is the action of the fire going out. The lack of revival because of fear of a beast allows Piggy to come up with a solution. Piggy states, “We got no fire on the mountain. But what’s wrong with a fire down here? A fire could be built on them rocks. On the sand even, We’d make smoke just the same” (129). The fire is momentous to Ralph’s campaign, along with the conch, because fire represents the hope of rescue. So when the fire goes out, it decimates Ralph’s leadership confidence, but Piggy has this bright idea. If Piggy had not come up with that solution, Ralph would probably come in over his head. At this point, Ralph is struggling in his authoritarian role, and concepts like the fire are carrying him through it. So because Piggy made way for the continuity of the fire, Ralph’s civilization continues strong. 

Piggy will enhance the role as the logical, but the boys, faced with savagery, will overlook him, coming in tap with their Id. During this time, the boys have split up and the only reasonable, civilized ones left are Ralph, Piggy, and two boys named Samneric. A character named Jack, head of hunting, has stolen Piggy’s glasses to make a fire. Piggy decides he will go over to Jack's side of the island and demand his glasses back. While doing this, he will give a speech and let them know there is only one way out of their situation.  Piggy states, “I got this to say. You’re acting like a crowd of kids. Which is better- to be a pack of painted Indians like you are, or to be sensile like Ralph is? Which is better- to have rules and agree, or to hunt and kill? Which is better, law and rescue, or hunting and breaking things up?” (180). Piggy’s civility and logic are portrayed thoroughly through this speech. He understands the only way out is to be civilized and logical, but the boys will continue to act like savages. With Jack's crew portraying a character similar to a pack of wild Indians, they do not appreciate Piggy’s speech, nor will they obey it. Consequently, this absence of manner and respect leads to an unfortunate event. Roger, a boy who often has to fight off violence, commits to an action that will cost the boys by pushing a boulder off an edge that is bound to hit Piggy. Golding writes, “The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist. Piggy, saying nothing, with no time for even a grunt, traveled through the air sideways from the rock, turning over as he went. The rock bounded twice and was lost in the forest. Piggy fell forty feet and landed on his back across the square red rock in the sea. His head opened and stuff came out and turned red” (181). As soon as the rock hits Piggy, the first thing that happens is the conch shattering. The breaking of the conch represents the end of a civilized society. Then an image of Piggy’s head opening and stuff coming out will symbolize the termination of his wit and knowledge with his knowledge pouring out when his head bursts open. Piggy, now dead, will add to this brutal fate of savagery breaking loose. From here on, Samneric will join Jack’s side but not out of their own will. This separation will set the stage for the clash of everyone vs. Ralph and results in an actual war. Besides Ralph, the boys are now indulged in their Id, and will attempt to kill Ralph. They have multiple advancements in the attempt of this murder, but the final stage was setting the whole island on fire. Golding describes a piece of this savage scene when Ralph is fighting for his life by writing, “He forgot his wounds, his hunger and thirst, and became fear; hopeless fear on flying feet, rushing through the forest toward the open beach. Spots jumped before his eyes and turned into red circles that expanded quickly till they passed out of sight. Below him someone’s legs were getting tired and desperate ululation advanced like a jagged fringe of menace and was almost overhead” (200). After Piggy dies, savagery immediately breaks out and becomes overpowering, like a school full of kids versus the flu. The effect among the boys after Piggy and his strengths depart from them will paint a clear as day picture, showing just how necessary his logic is when trying to maintain a civilized civilization. 

All in all, Piggy was a very well-educated alliance. Without Piggy present and using his gift of logic, it resulted in savagery. This scenario demonstrates that without logic and reasoning, a civilization cannot fully be exultant.