Lord of the Flies, a novel by William Golding published in 1954, remains a chilling exploration of human nature and societal breakdown. For those wondering What Happens In Lord Of The Flies, the story plunges a group of British schoolboys, stranded on a deserted island during World War II, into a harrowing descent from civilization to savagery. Often referenced in popular culture, including a memorable Simpsons parody, the book’s enduring themes continue to resonate deeply with readers today. Unlike some dense classics, Golding delivers this powerful narrative in a concise and gripping 200 pages, making it a compelling and thought-provoking read.
A Breakdown of Events: From Order to Chaos
The narrative of Lord of the Flies begins with a plane crash leaving a group of English schoolboys as the sole survivors on an uninhabited tropical island. Two boys, Ralph and the overweight, intellectual Piggy, quickly emerge as central figures. Recognizing the urgency of their situation, they attempt to establish order amongst the scattered boys. Using a conch shell as a symbol of authority, they call meetings and establish rudimentary rules, electing Ralph as their leader. This nascent society mirrors the structures of the adult world they’ve left behind: roles are assigned, age groups (“biguns” and “littleuns”) are recognized, and Piggy, despite being ridiculed, becomes crucial due to his glasses, the only means to start a fire.
Initially, the boys achieve a semblance of civilization. They build shelters, maintain a signal fire for potential rescue, and forage for food. This fragile order, however, begins to crumble when Jack Merridew, the head choirboy and appointed leader of the hunters, prioritizes the thrill of the hunt over the collective good. In a pivotal moment, Jack and his hunting party neglect the signal fire while celebrating their first pig kill, causing a passing ship to remain unaware of their presence. This act ignites the first significant conflict between Ralph and Jack, representing the growing tension between reason and primal instinct.
Ralph and Piggy represent the forces of order and intellect as they attempt to establish a civilized society on the island.
Fear takes hold when, during an aerial battle above the island, a dead parachutist drifts down and becomes entangled in trees near the signal fire. Mistaking the corpse for a monstrous “beast,” the boys succumb to irrational terror. This fear is exploited by Jack, who challenges Ralph’s leadership and attempts to seize control by appealing to the boys’ primal desires for hunting and excitement. When his power grab fails initially, Jack breaks away to form his own tribe, promising food, fun, and freedom from rules. His tribe quickly descends into savagery, marked by face paint, ritualistic chanting, and the brutal hunting of pigs. They even impale a pig’s head on a stake as an offering to the imagined beast, naming it “Lord of the Flies.”
The Descent into Savagery and the Unveiling of the Beast
Simon, a quiet and insightful boy, stumbles upon the decaying pig’s head in the forest. In a hallucinatory encounter, the “Lord of the Flies” seems to speak to Simon, revealing the horrifying truth: the beast they fear is not an external monster, but the inherent savagery within themselves. Simon later discovers the true nature of the “beast” – the dead parachutist – and rushes to inform the others.
Meanwhile, Ralph and Piggy, desperate to maintain order, venture to Jack’s camp to reason with the increasingly tribalistic group. In the frenzy of a tribal dance, Simon emerges from the forest to reveal his discovery. Tragically, in their fear and primal excitement, the boys mistake Simon for the beast and brutally murder him. This horrific act marks a definitive turning point, signifying the complete collapse of reason and the triumph of savagery.
Jack’s tribe, consumed by the thrill of the hunt, embody the escalating savagery that takes over the island.
Haunted by Simon’s death, Ralph and Piggy return to their dwindling camp, clinging to the hope of rescue and the signal fire. However, Jack’s tribe, driven by a lust for power and control, raids Ralph’s camp and steals Piggy’s glasses, extinguishing their ability to create fire and further diminishing their chances of survival. In a final desperate attempt to reclaim Piggy’s glasses and restore order, Ralph, Piggy, Sam, and Eric confront Jack’s tribe. Piggy, carrying the conch shell as a symbol of law and order, pleads for reason.
The Tragic Climax and a Fleeting Glimmer of Hope
The confrontation ends in utter tragedy. Roger, a sadistic member of Jack’s tribe, deliberately pushes a boulder down the mountainside, killing Piggy and shattering the conch shell – a symbolic destruction of civilization itself. Sam and Eric are captured and forced to join Jack’s tribe. Ralph is now alone, hunted by the entire tribe of savage boys.
In a desperate chase, Ralph is pursued relentlessly across the island. Jack’s tribe sets the forest ablaze in their hunt for him. Exhausted and terrified, Ralph stumbles onto the beach, collapsing at the feet of a British naval officer, who has arrived on the island drawn by the smoke from the fire. The sudden arrival of adult authority abruptly halts the savagery. The officer, initially misunderstanding the gravity of the situation, mildly chides the boys for their lack of order. However, as Ralph recounts the horrific events and the boys are confronted with the reality of their actions, they are overcome with tears – not of relief at being rescued, but of shame and grief for the darkness they unleashed within themselves. The ending offers a bleak yet poignant commentary on the fragility of civilization and the ever-present potential for savagery within humanity.
Exploring the Key Themes of Lord of the Flies
Golding masterfully weaves several profound themes into the narrative of Lord of the Flies, making it a timeless and relevant work of literature.
Civilization vs. Savagery: The Core Conflict
The central theme of Lord of the Flies is the stark contrast between civilization and savagery. The novel explores the inherent difficulty in maintaining a civilized society, even in a microcosm of children. Ralph and Piggy’s initial efforts to establish rules, order, and focus on rescue represent the principles of civilization. However, these values are quickly undermined by the allure of primal instincts and the breakdown of social structures.
Jack’s descent into savagery, along with the majority of the boys, highlights Golding’s commentary on human nature. While the boys’ age might initially suggest immaturity as the root cause of their downfall, Golding implies a deeper, more unsettling truth. The ease with which they abandon reason for primal urges suggests that the veneer of civilization is thin and easily shed when external structures and societal norms are removed. The novel implies that civilization is not a natural state but a construct, requiring constant effort and conscious choices to suppress the inherent savagery within individuals. The boys’ failure to maintain order reflects a broader commentary on the challenges faced by any society in controlling its darker impulses.
Inherent Evil: The Beast Within
Lord of the Flies delves into the complex theme of inherent evil, suggesting that savagery is not merely a product of circumstance but a potentiality within human nature itself. The “beast” in the novel evolves from an imagined external monster to the realization that the beast is internal – it is the capacity for evil that exists within each of the boys.
The pig hunts, initially driven by necessity for food, quickly escalate into acts of bloodlust and violence, culminating in the tragic murders of Simon and Piggy. The “Lord of the Flies” itself, the pig’s head, symbolizes this inherent evil, communicating to Simon that the true beast resides within the boys themselves. Golding uses the boys’ rapid descent into violence and irrationality to argue that humans are inherently flawed and capable of great cruelty when unchecked by societal structures and moral codes. Jack’s lust for power and the tribe’s descent into ritualistic savagery serve as stark illustrations of this inherent human capacity for evil.
Dangers of Groupthink and Segregation: Loss of Individuality
The novel also explores the dangers of groupthink and segregation in the breakdown of civilization. The initial division of labor and roles, while seemingly practical, quickly leads to rigid group identities and the erosion of individual responsibility. Jack’s hunter tribe exemplifies the dangers of groupthink, where the pursuit of a single purpose – hunting – overshadows all other considerations, including rescue and morality.
The segregation of the boys into “biguns” and “littleuns” further contributes to the breakdown of empathy and responsibility. The older boys’ reluctance to care for the younger ones reflects a societal tendency to create divisions and hierarchies that can lead to neglect and cruelty. The mob mentality that overtakes the boys during Simon’s murder highlights the terrifying consequences of groupthink, where individual conscience is suppressed in favor of collective frenzy. The novel serves as a cautionary tale about the importance of maintaining individual thought and moral responsibility, even within group structures.
Final Reflections on What Happens in Lord of the Flies
Lord of the Flies serves as a stark and enduring allegory for the fragility of civilization and the darkness inherent in human nature. What happens in Lord of the Flies is a powerful and disturbing depiction of how quickly order can descend into chaos when societal structures are removed and primal instincts are unleashed. Golding’s novel remains profoundly relevant, prompting readers to consider the complexities of human nature, the importance of societal structures, and the constant need for vigilance against the savage impulses that lie beneath the surface of civilization. It is a chilling reminder that the “beast” is not something external to be feared, but a potential within ourselves that must be constantly acknowledged and controlled.
Riot’s Rating: 9.5/10: Intense/Amazing read, would recommend to anyone. Only problem I had at times was following who was speaking. The informal speech of the kids and broken sentences often made them blur together.
