Civilization is defined as the stage of human social development, whether that social development has a positive or negative connotation is dependent on outside factors and the people. William Golding’s Lord of the Flies shows both sides. The overall idea of the book focuses on the negative concepts of civilization such as murder and lack of teamwork and agrees with Gauguin’s quote, but there are a few examples of bonding and friendships. Paul Gauguin is credited with claiming, “Civilization is what makes you sick.” This quote seems to say that the ways of society and behavior can turn people sadistic. Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies seems to agree that people’s actions and behavior can be a factor into brutal behavior and expands on this idea, but it also shows ways of bonding between a few of the boys including Ralph and Piggy and Sam and Eric. Throughout this novel the boys turn more hostile and “sick”, as they have to focus more on survival and it kind of turns into an “every man for himself” situation.
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We see this begin in chapter 2 when the young birthmarked boy is trying to explain his fear of the “beasties” on the island. “At last Ralph induced him to hold the shell but by then the blow of laughter had taken away the child’s voice.” (Golding, 35). In addition to this example, after the boy tries to ask about the beasties, “Ralph laughed, and the other boys laughed with him.” (Golding, 35). Already, the boys are showing signs of cruel behavior. This boy is said to only be around six years old, and they are all laughing and making fun of him. It seemed like a “follow the leader” type of situation, as the other boys may not have laughed if Ralph hadn’t. As the novel progresses, the boys become more and more cruel and vicious. The chant while dancing around a dead pig: “"Kill the beast! Cut its throat! Spill its blood! Do him in!" is one example. Following these actions, they decide they have to split into 2 tribes because they can’t get anything done together without arguments and jealousy of who has more power. This leads to violence between Jack and Ralph and even torture to the other boys. In addition to this, the boys animalistically murder Simon, and later Roger kills Piggy. This shows that their sadistic actions have a lot to do with their fellow survivors, or their “civilization” as Gauguin says. Lord of the Flies is a story revolving around how a group of boys reacts to each other’s actions eventually leading to many conflicts and brutal behavior. In contradiction, we can see these boys bonding and continuing to create this civilization on their own. In Chapter 4 it says “They suffered untold terrors from the dark and huddled together for comfort.” (Golding, 59). This is only talking about the littluns but it shows a sense of unity, as they’re able to find comfort with each other. The littluns have their own “civilization” in a way and most of the time in the beginning, they are more civilized than the older boys. They find ways to occupy themselves by playing together and making sand castles. (Golding, 59-60). This shows that civilization can have a positive impact on people and ironically the younger and possibly “less wise” boys have made a more productive civilization than the older
We see this begin in chapter 2 when the young birthmarked boy is trying to explain his fear of the “beasties” on the island. “At last Ralph induced him to hold the shell but by then the blow of laughter had taken away the child’s voice.” (Golding, 35). In addition to this example, after the boy tries to ask about the beasties, “Ralph laughed, and the other boys laughed with him.” (Golding, 35). Already, the boys are showing signs of cruel behavior. This boy is said to only be around six years old, and they are all laughing and making fun of him. It seemed like a “follow the leader” type of situation, as the other boys may not have laughed if Ralph hadn’t. As the novel progresses, the boys become more and more cruel and vicious. The chant while dancing around a dead pig: “"Kill the beast! Cut its throat! Spill its blood! Do him in!" is one example. Following these actions, they decide they have to split into 2 tribes because they can’t get anything done together without arguments and jealousy of who has more power. This leads to violence between Jack and Ralph and even torture to the other boys. In addition to this, the boys animalistically murder Simon, and later Roger kills Piggy. This shows that their sadistic actions have a lot to do with their fellow survivors, or their “civilization” as Gauguin says. Lord of the Flies is a story revolving around how a group of boys reacts to each other’s actions eventually leading to many conflicts and brutal behavior. In contradiction, we can see these boys bonding and continuing to create this civilization on their own. In Chapter 4 it says “They suffered untold terrors from the dark and huddled together for comfort.” (Golding, 59). This is only talking about the littluns but it shows a sense of unity, as they’re able to find comfort with each other. The littluns have their own “civilization” in a way and most of the time in the beginning, they are more civilized than the older boys. They find ways to occupy themselves by playing together and making sand castles. (Golding, 59-60). This shows that civilization can have a positive impact on people and ironically the younger and possibly “less wise” boys have made a more productive civilization than the older