How Golding Presents the Decline from Civilisation to Savagery in Lord

How Golding Presents the Decline from Civilisation to Savagery in Lord of the Flies Lord of the Flies is the name given to the inner beast, to which only Simon ever actually speaks. As Simon's waits for the beast's arrival near the bloody sow's head on the stake (buzzing with flies), The Lord of the Flies speaks to him, warning him not to get in its way or else he shall be killed by the boys. The Lord of the Flies name comes from the sow's head and the countless flies buzzing about it, which soon move from the sow's head to swarm around the head of Simon as the Lord of the Flies tells him, "I'm a part of you." In biblical texts, the Lord of the Flies is the title of Beelzebub (a direct translation of his name), a demon of Hell. There is a clear distinction between this book and The Coral Island. There is no separation between boys and savages, good and evil, Christianity and cannibalism, British and savages in this book, where as in the Coral island this distinction comes out many times. Jack is the novel's primary representative of the instincts of savagery, violence, and the desire for power, which is shown from the beginning. When the idea of having a Chief is mentioned, Jack speaks out immediately. "I ought to be chief," Jack says with simple arrogance, "because I'm chapter chorister and head boy." He is furious when he loses the election to Ralph, which subtly begins their conflict, and continually pushes the boundaries of his subordinate role in the group. Jack and his compatriots are portrayed as militaristic and aggressive, with Jack's bold manner and the choir marching in step with one another. They are the first concrete entrance of civilization onto the island and a decidedly negative one; ... ... is the conflict between two competing impulses that exist within all human beings: the instinct to live by rules, act peacefully, follow moral commands, and value the good of the group on the one hand; and the instinct to gratify one's immediate desires, act violently to obtain supremacy over others, and enforce one's will on the other. These two instincts may be called "the instinct of civilization" and "the instinct of savagery," as one is devoted to values that promote ordered society and the other is devoted to values that threaten ordered society. Throughout the novel, the instinct of civilization is associated with goodness, while the instinct of savagery is associated with evil, and the latter prevails. It is only at the very end of the book that the group is drained of savagery, as the captain pictures these small, ragged, confused little boys.