Civilization and savagery in William Golding’s Lord of the flies (1954) and Nineteen eighty four (1949) by George Orwell

The need for civilization 

The term civilization is a controversial and used in a most related ways. Primarily, the term is used to refer to the material and instrumental side of human culture that is complex in terms of technology, science and division of labor. Such civilizations are generally hierarchical and urbanized. In a classical context, people were called « civilized » to set them apart from barbarians, savages, and primitive people while in a modern-day context, « civilized peoples » have been contrasted with indigenous people or tribal society. Civilization is a mean to leap out of the instinctual state of man, to enter a symbolic world which is marked by specific social organizations. It is the state in which, Man is culturally, socially, politically fit. Man cannot get better without the permanent contact of his environment. Every human being is compelled to live according to the nature of his environment. It is basically a vital kind of grouping .without civilization, the world would not be .Civilization develops things which help people to be in a stable community, to create the construction of cities and help develop a secure state. Thus , in The lord of the flies and the Nineteen eighty four, William Golding and George Orwell give a general survey of the way by which Order and Good principles are seen through Ralph and Winston .

Perception of order Order is crucial for every society

Without social order, society as well as individual cannot exist. Therefore, the need for social control is important for so many reasons. It is necessary for every society to maintain its social order and this is possible when its members behave in accordance with the founder principles of this social order. Otherwise, social unity would be a mere dream. Because it enables people to behave with established norms, brings uniformity and unity among individuals. Order is necessary to protect social interest and satisfy common needs. If it is removed and people left to act freely, society would be reduced to a state of jungle. There are numerous modes and customs prevailing in a society .Every individual has to follow them. Thus, in William Golding’s Lord of the flies and George Orwell’s Nineteen eighty four, there are two antagonistic persons such as Ralph and Winston, who are filled with the perception of order in a society though their trajectory is different. In the lord of the flies, William Golding opens with the situation which happens after the crash of a plane which was carrying English schoolboys. The boys land in an island which is very isolated without any contact to the rest of the world. The boys are marooned on the island with no grownups to help them to organize an eventual rescue. Golding informs that many boys are scattered through the isolated island but Ralph, a twelve years old boy, and piggy, a fat boy, realize that they are on an island and think the others are dead except themselves. “Piggy persisted.“This is an island, isn’t. I climbed a rock, said Ralph slowly. And I think this is an island. There are all dead, said Piggy and this is an island. Nobody knows we‘re here. Your dad don’t know, nobody don’t know. His lips quivered and the spectacle was dimmed with mist”. 1 The boys are in a hopeless situation. They do not know what to do, they are alone. There is nobody who can help them to relieve their pains . However, Golding’s narration has its values when Piggy finds a conch in the lagoon as soon as Ralph is swimming on the shore, taking profit from the beautiful landscape of the island. After a scrupulous glance, he tries to blow it unsuccessfully .But fortunately, Ralph experiences it, they realize they are not alone, that a crowd of young boys come toward unexpectedly hence the beginning of a gathering. The sound of the conch reaches the different parts of the island. “Ralph grasped the idea and hit the shell with the air from his diaphragm. Immediately, the thing sounded. A deep harsh note boomed under the palm tree, spread through the intricacies of the forest and echoes back from the pink granite of mountain. Cloud of birds rose from the tree top ().he laid the conch against his lips, took a deep breath and blew once more. The note boomed again in his lips took a deep breath and blew once more ().The birds cried, small scattered.” 2 William Golding relates the first elements of the childish inspiration in the island. One sees the way civilization is perceived through the conch. He lays emphasis on the intelligence of the boys. They hold a meeting to find a mean to escape from the savage island. Golding Wants to show that in every society, there must be a mutual consent between its members and decision are not to be made by a single person or group. 

The importance of symbols 

Symbols are defined as objects, figures and colors used to represent ideas or concepts. In the Lord of the flies and Nineteen eighty four, there are so many symbols which bear different significances .Among these symbols, one cite symbols which advocates order such as: The conch shell plays an important role on the island. Through the power of the conch, Ralph is able to make meetings. Without the use of the conch, it would be very difficult to organize meetings in a more ordered way. It enables to know who is on the island. When Ralph and Piggy discover the conch on the beach, they use it to assemble all the boys who are scattered in the island. It is the symbol of civilization, order and democracy in the novel: “We can’t have everybody talking at once. We’ll have to have “hands up like at school” he held the conch before his face glanced around the mouth. Then I will give him the conch.” 14 The boys make use of the conch to elect a leader. Therefore the conch also stands for democracy. Ralph is chosen by votes. The conch even stands for justice and equality because everybody has the right to state his opinion through the conch. Soon their meetings can be regarded as a kind of “Parliament” in which they talk about problems and discuss possible improvement. They boys come from an English school and now attempt to continue their ideals of law and order on the island. But soon things are deteriorating. Jack is not satisfied with his position and he wants to dominate all the children. He is the one longing for the conch to fulfill his will. Principles like justice and equality become more and 14 Golding William, Lord of the flies,1954,op.cit.,p43 26 more threatened. Especially Jack restricts the conch’s importance because he wants to be elected as leader instead of Ralph. His thirst for power causes a division on the island. There are Ralph and his followers on the one hand. There are Jack and his tribes on the other hand. But as civilization erodes, the boys descend into savagery; the conch loses its power and its influence among them. One more symbol is Piggy’s glasses. The boys succeed in burning the fire thanks to the proposal of Piggy. He is the most intelligent boy in the group. They represent Piggy’s intellectual effort in the island. The spectacles produce a certain balance between Piggy’s physical weakness and his mental strength. At the beginning the boys use the glasses to make a fire. Golding states these moments through these passage: “Ralph shouted at him. “Piggy! Have you got any matches?” The other boys took up the cry till the mountain rang. Piggy shook his head and came to the pile. “My! You’ve made a big heap, haven’t you?”Jack pointed suddenly. His specs _use them as burning glasses!”15 Thus, Piggy’s spectacles are also used to light the fire on the top of the mountain. They can also prepare their meat with the fire to live on the island. The fire is the most important thing on the island. It is a possibility to be rescued, and therefore a medium to communicate, and represents at the same time the origin of mankind. The fire is even a tool to prepare food, and gives protection and comfort at night. But there is also something negative about the fire. It shows the intention of humans to control nature by destroying it. Through harming the island surrounding, they 15 Ibid ,p.52 27 In Orwell’s Nineteen eighty four, there are symbols which illustrate Winston’s ambition of a better society which is based on order, ethics and equality between people, such as: The diary symbolizes hope that runs through the entire book. It is Winston’s past and future and his first revolt. When he questions why he writes in the diary, his answer is: « For the future, for the unborn”. Orwell is giving us a future warning through Winston. He is writing the diary, just as Orwell is writing the book. This seems very likely because Winston’s hope is so evident. Through the diary, one sees how Winston is attached to the establishment of truth, to the free expression of though and the peaceful coexistence between people.