Civilization versus Savagery Civilization versus Savagery is one of the main themes of the novel Lord of the Flies. Civilization forces people to suppress their darkest impulses, while savages surrender to their darkest impulses. William Golding represents the differences in civilization and ferocity in the conflict between the two main characters: Ralph, who represents civilization, order and leadership; and Jack, who represents ferocity and the desire for power. In chapter 2, Ralph establishes the rule that whoever holds the conch at assemblies is the designated speaker. Here, the shell represents civilization and order, which Ralph also represents. Ralph is explaining to the rest of the kids their current situation, which is that they are alone on an island with no adults. Try to stay positive so that none of the kids are scared. Then, one of the younger boys takes the conch and says, “Tell us about the snake-thing” (Golding 35). This ruins the positive image Ralph is trying to paint for everyone else, as everyone begins to panic in fear of a possible "beast" (Golding 36). Ralph remains calm and responds reassuringly, “You couldn't have a beast, a snake, on an island this size” (Golding 36). Ralph then adds, “He was dreaming” (Golding 36) to further reassure the boys that there is no beast. The fear of the beast, however, does not disappear and Ralph thinks that they should conquer their fear through reason, which simply means that there is no beast. Jack agrees with Ralph, but also makes a side note to the conversation saying, “But if there were a snake we would hunt it down and kill it. We will go hunting for pigs to provide meat for everyone. And we will look for… middle of paper… cases where kids can no longer repress their darkest impulses, lose all previous ties to a civilized way of life. Once these ties are sufficiently severed, the boys have nowhere else to turn but to the darkness and ferocity within each of them. This darkness may seem thick and impenetrable, however, just a taste of civilization and order can illuminate the darkness within anyone. William Golding, while realizing this fact, chose to share it with the world by writing this story. It proved that even the most decent British kids can become wild beasts in a matter of days, only to return to their old civilized lives once reintroduced by a familiar figure. No one is so far away that they cannot be saved, and no one is immune to the ferocity within. Works Cited Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York: Penguin Group, 2006.