CIVILISATION
“We've got to have rules and obey them. After all, we're not savages. We're
English, and the English are best at everything.”
Jack’s insight to having more rules gives an establishment of what being English is all about. His pride in being
English causes him to say
Jack contradicts his comment about not being savage by becoming the leader of his animalistic tribe and having
no regard to Ralph’s established rules. Where have the rules gone? Jack breaks all the rules that he wants
established and he becomes savage, and he no longer agrees with Ralph and his regulations.
moral and normal standings that are still in the group of boys. The word 'savages' is a great contradiction to the
end of the book, almost an irony towards what will come
The 'Rules and obey them', highlights the fact they still want social order, and they want some kind of rules, so
things will not get out of hand.
The 'English' is probably there to highlight common ground among the boys, and to get them motivated to not to
turn into savages.
Piggy was an outsider, not only by accent which did not matter, but by fat, and ass-
mar, and specs, and a certain disinclination for manual labour.”
→ Piggy is considered as an outcast, even by Ralph
Goldings use of listing highlights that there are many reasons as to why Piggy is an outsider. He is created by
Golding as a true outsider, who no matter what, is isolated from the society and world as a whole
→ The noun ‘outsider’ creates a sense of isolation
Perceiving other humans as less than human is the basis of an infinite number of prejudices and bigotry as well as
the moral underpinning of genocide.
The character Piggy in William Golding's novel Lord of the Flies serves as the intellectual balance to the
emotional leaders of a group of shipwrecked British boys. Ironically, their new society values physical qualities
over intellectual attributes whereas it is the rational actions that will lead to their survival. Piggy's actions and the
reactions from his fellow survivors foreshadow his eventual death. Golding ensures Piggy's short life is well
remembered.
Piggy viewed everything logically. He quickly came to the realization that the boys may be on the island for a
long time, when he told Ralph "Nobody don't know we're here. Your dad don't know, nobody don't know" (9),
contrary to Ralph's assumption that his father, who happened to be a naval officer, would simply come and rescue
them.
Piggy represents intellectuals who are usually ignored by political hopefuls.
Perhaps this serves to reinforce the idea that these children are very far from the society and norms they grew up
with. The children don't care about the sociological trappings of class and wealth that can be inferred from an
accent. They dislike Piggy at a much more visceral level based on his physical appearance and behavior. His
accent might have mattered back home, but on the island, it is irrelevant.
, CIVILISATION
“The conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist.”
The conch plays a key role in this theme because it symbolizes not only to the power to speak during assembly but
also the power of speech, an ability that separates humans from animals. Following the death of Piggy and
destruction of the conch, "the silence was complete" as if Piggy provided the last bastion of human intellect — or
humanity itself — on the island.
Verbal communication is crucial to the development of abstract thought. "If only one had time to think!" Ralph
laments. Civilization provides institutions where the individuals can devote themselves to mental activities.
The conch explodes, marking the end of law and order on the island. As the law ceases to exist, so
does Piggy.
The conch was the biggest symbol of purity and hope that Ralphs side possessed. The breaking of the
shell symbolizes the last bit of civilization and order left on the island. It essentially grants the tribe the
ability to kill. This was the first intentional murder, and it cleared the path for more to come.
a major idea in this quote is how the conch explodes into “a thousand white fragments.” It symbolizes
that the conch is beyond repair. That it has “ceased to exist.” it is important because if the conch was
only broken in half, or in three pieces, it could be repaired. Since the conch is in a thousand pieces
however, it is un-repairable and therefore unusable.
almost immediately after the conch is destroyed, everything goes downhill.
Order an’t be regained
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“Invisible yet strong…was the protection of parents and school and policemen and
law.
→ The adjective ‘strong’ juxtaposes with the fragility of civilisation.
→ The noun ‘protection’ emphasises Roger’s final straws of civilisation where it is evidently on the verge of
deteriorating although foreshadowing to the readers of the time, that their once innocent world required a lot of
protection and care having been extremely close to a downfall in innocence and civilisation, especially after the
barbaric, inhumane occurrences throughout the duration of war.
→ Roger represents the sadist, the individual who enjoys hurting others. His evil motives are different
from Jack's, who pursues leadership and stature and enjoys the thrill of the hunt.
→ Roger just likes to hurt people. He is described in Chapter 1 as a boy "who kept to himself with
avoidance and secrecy." His secret is that he is, in some ways, more evil than even Jack.
→ All his life, Roger has been conditioned to leash or mask his impulses where he was “conditioned by
a civilisation that knew nothing of him and was I ruins.”
→The "irresponsible authority" of Jack's reign offers Roger the chance to unleash his innate cruelty.
→Initially, in a mean-spirited prank, Roger throws rocks at the unsuspecting littlun, Henry, but he throws
them so that they miss, surrounded as Henry is by "the protection of parents and school and policeman
and the law. Roger's arm was conditioned by . . . civilization."
→ Roger knows his limits; he is almost aware of the concept of civilisation and so he does not “dare” throw
stones within “six yards in diameter”
→ Through Roger, Golding may be suggesting that without law and order, the world could deteriorate and soon
become corrupt which is evident in the savage attitude and treatment of one another witnessed by Golding
throughout the second world war where he witnessed the brutality of war.
“The conch… fragile and white”
While the conch's symbolic power remained alive to the boys, there was hope that they could continue with their
small society peacefully and productively. With the loss of regulated discourse came the end of Ralph's humane
influence on the boys.
Civilization at this point isn’t strong, and is going into decline. One false move could end it
