Lord of the Flies warns of the descent from civilization to savagery.
The boys start with a fear of savagery: “What are we? Humans? Or animals? Or savages?
And then use savagery as a tool: “Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!”
Lord of the Flies Quotes With Page Numbers
Lord of the Flies Savagery Quotes
“Sucks to your ass-mar!”
~William Golding, Lord of the Flies, (Ralph), Chapter 1, Page 13
“He snatched his knife out of the sheath and slammed it into a tree trunk. Next time there would be no mercy,”
~William Golding, Lord of The Flies, (The narrator: about Jack), Chapter 1, Page 31
“His specs – use them as burning glasses! ”
~William Golding, Lord of The Flies, (Jack), Chapter 2, Page 40
“Give me my specs!”
~William Golding, Lord of The Flies, (Piggy), Chapter 2, Page 41
“We’ve got to have rules and obey them. After all, we’re not savages. We’re English, and the English are best at everything.”
William Golding, Lord of the Flies, (Jack), Chapter 2, Page 42
“I thought I might kill.”
~William Golding, Lord of The Flies, (Jack), Chapter 3, Page 51
“There is nothing in it of course. Just a feeling. But you can feel as if you’re not hunting, but – being hunted, as if something’s behind you all the time in the jungle.”
~William Golding, Lord of the Flies, (Simon), Chapter 3, Page 53
“They looked at each other, baffled, in love and hate.”
~William Golding, Lord of the Flies, (the narrator), Chapter 3, Page 55
“He became absorbed beyond mere happiness as he felt himself exercising control over living things. He talked to them, urging them, ordering them. Driven back by the tide, his footprints became bays in which they were trapped and gave him the illusion of mastery.”
~William Golding, Lord of the Flies, (The narrator), Chapter 4, Page 61
“Roger stooped, picked up a stone, aimed and threw it at Henry-threw it to miss. The stone, that token of preposterous time, bounced five yards to Henry’s right and fell in the water. Roger gathered a handful of stones and began to throw them. Yet there was a space round Henry, perhaps six yards in diameter, into which he dare not throw. Here, invisible yet strong, was the taboo of the old life. Round the squatting child was the protection of parents and school and policemen and the law. Roger was conditioned by a civilization that knew nothing of him and was in ruins.”
~William Golding, Lord of the Flies, (The narrator), Chapter 4, Page 62
“The mask was a thing on it’s own, behind which Jack hid, liberated from shame and self-conciousness.”
~William Golding, Lord of the Flies, (The narrator about Jack), Chapter 4, Page 64
“Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Spill her blood.”
~William Golding, Lord of the Flies, (Jack and his hunters), Chapter 4, Page 69
“His mind was crowded with memories; memories of the knowledge that had come to them when they closed in on the struggling pig, knowledge that they had outwitted a living thing, imposed their will upon it, taken away its life like a long satisfying drink.”
~William Golding, Lord of the Flies, (The narrator about Roger), Chapter 4, Page 70
“The thing is – fear can’t hurt you any more than a dream.”
~William Golding, Lord of the Flies, (Jack), Chapter 5, Page 82
“I know there isn’t no beast—not with claws and all that, I mean—but I know there isn’t no fear, either.”
Piggy paused.
“Unless—”
Ralph moved restlessly.
“Unless what?”
“Unless we get frightened of people.”
~William Golding, Lord of the Flies, (Piiggy and Ralph), Chapter 5, Page 84
“I know there isn’t no beast—not with claws and all that, I mean—but I know there isn’t no fear, either.”
Piggy paused.
“Unless—”
Ralph moved restlessly.
“Unless what?”
“Unless we get frightened of people.”
~William Golding, Lord of the Flies, (Piggy and Ralph), Chapter 5, Page 84
“I don’t believe in the beast of course. As Piggy says, life’s scientific, but we don’t know, do we?
Not certainly, I mean―”
~William Golding, Lord of the Flies, (Maurice), Chapter 5, Page 88
“Maybe there is a beast… maybe it’s only us.”
~William Golding, Lord of the Flies, (Simon), Chapter 5, Page 89
“The world, that understandable and lawful world, was slipping away.”
~William Golding, Lord of the Flies, (The narrator), Chapter 5, Page 91
“What are we? Humans? Or animals? Or savages?
What’s grownups going to think?”
~William Golding, Lord of the Flies, (Piggy), Chapter 5, Page 91
“The rules!” shouted Ralph. “You’re breaking the rules!” “Who cares?” Ralph summoned his wits. “Because the rules are the only thing we’ve got!”
~William Golding, Lord of the Flies, (Ralph), Chapter 5, Page 91
“Bollocks to the rules! We’re strong – we hunt! If there’s a beast, we’ll hunt it down! We’ll close in and beat and beat and beat”
~William Golding, Lord of The Flies, (Jack), Chapter 5, Page 91
“Simon stirred in the dark. “Go on being chief.” “You shut up, young Simon! Why couldn’t you say there wasn’t a beast?” “I’m scared of him,” said Piggy, “and that’s why I know him. If you’re scared of someone you hate him but you can’t stop thinking about him. You kid yourself he’s all right really, an’ then when you see him again; it’s like asthma an’ you can’t breathe. I tell you what. He hates you too, Ralph—” “Me? Why me?” “I dunno. You got him over the fire; an’ you’re chief an’ he isn’t.” “But he’s, he’s, Jack Merridew!” “I been in bed so much I done some thinking. I know about people. I know about me. And him. He can’t hurt you: but if you stand out of the way he’d hurt the next thing. And that’s me.”
~William Golding, Lord of the Flies, (Characters: Simon, Piggy, and Ralph), Chapter 5, Page 93
“Simon, walking in front of Ralph, felt a flicker of incredulity―a beast with claws that scratched, that sat on a mountain-top, that left no tracks and yet was not fast enough to catch Samneric. However Simon thought of the beast, there rose before his inward sight the picture of a human at once heroic and sick.”
~William Golding, Lord of the Flies, (The Narrator about Simon and the Beast), Chapter 6, Page 103
“Kill the pig! Cut his throat! Kill the pig! Bash him in!”
~William Golding, Lord of the Flies, (Jack and his hunters), Chapter 7, Page 114
“This head is for the beast. It’s a gift.”
The silence accepted the gift and awed them. The head remained there,
dim-eyed, grinning faintly, blood blackening between the teeth. All at once they were running away, as fast as they could, through the forest toward the open beach. ”~William Golding, Lord of the Flies, (Jack), Chapter 8, Page 137
“They were black and iridescent green and without number; and in front of Simon, the Lord of the Flies hung on his stick and grinned. At last Simon gave up and looked back; saw the white teeth and dim eyes, the blood—and his gaze was held by that ancient, inescapable recognition. In Simon’s right temple, a pulse began to beat on the brain.”
~William Golding, Lord of the Flies, (The narrator), Chapter 8, Page 138
“Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill! You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of you? Close, close, close! I’m the reason why it’s no go? Why things are what they are?”
~William Golding, Lord of the Flies, (The head in Simon’s hallucination), Chapter 8, Page 143
“As Simon thought this, he turned to the poor broken thing that sat stinking by his side. The beast was harmless and horrible; and the news must reach the others as soon as possible.”
~William Golding, Lord of the Flies, (The Narrator about Simon), Chapter 9, Page 147
“Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood! Do him in!” The sticks fell and the mouth of the new circle crunched and screamed. The beast was on its knees in the center, its arms folded over its face.”
~William Golding, Lord of the Flies, (The Narrator and the hunters), Chapter 9, Page 152
“At once the crowd surged after it, poured down the rock, leapt on to the beast, screamed, struck, bit, tore. There were no words, and no movements but the tearing of teeth and claws.”
~William Golding, Lord of the Flies, (The Narrator about the Beast), Chapter 9, Page 153
“Only the beast lay still, a few yards from the sea. Even in the rain they could see how small a beast it was; and already its blood was staining the sand.”
~William Golding, Lord of the Flies, (The Narrator about the Beast), Chapter 9, Page 153
“Are we savages or what?”
~William Golding, Lord of the Flies, (Ralph), Chapter 11, Page 170
“Which is better — to be a pack of painted Indians like you are, or to be sensible like Ralph is?
Which is better — to have rules and agree, or to hunt and kill?
Which is better, law and rescue, or hunting and breaking things up?”
~William Golding, Lord of the Flies, (Piggy), Chapter 11, Page 180
“The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist.”~William Golding, Lord of the Flies, (The narrator), Chapter 11, Page 181
“This was a savage whose image refused to blend with that ancient picture of a boy in shorts and a shirt.”
~William Golding, Lord of the Flies, (The narrator), Chapter 11, Page 183
“He knelt among the shadows and felt his isolation bitterly. They were savages it was true; but they were human.”
~William Golding, Lord of the Flies, (The narrator), Chapter 11, Pages 185, 186
“Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy.”
~William Golding, Lord of the Flies, (The narrator about Ralph), Chapter 11, Page 202
“The officer, surrounded by these noises, was moved and a little embarrassed. He turned away to give them time to pull themselves together; and waited, allowing his eyes to rest on the trim cruiser in the distance.”
~William Golding, Lord of the Flies, (The narrator), Chapter 11, Page 202
Lord of the Flies Savagery Theme Analysis
William Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies emphasizes the theme of savagery and man’s regression from civilization into a more primitive state.
Golding uses his characters, particularly Jack, to embody this theme. One of Jack’s quotes in Chapter 2, Page 42, shows evidence of this thematic focus: “We’ve got to have rules and obey them. After all, we’re not savages. We’re English, and the English are best at everything.” This statement implies the existence of civility and order at the beginning.
However, as the narrative progresses, Jack’s actions and statements become increasingly savage. On page 51 of Chapter 3, he admits, “I thought I might kill.”
Later on, Jack and his group indulge in bloodshed, chanting, “Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Spill her blood” in Chapter 4, page 69.
This downward spiral into barbarism is starkly contrasted with their initial English sensibility, highlighting Golding’s exploration of how easily the veneer of civilization can be stripped away to reveal the inherent human propensity for brutality.
The novel reinforces the idea that savagery lies beneath the surface of civilization, suggesting that chaos and savagery ensue without societal norms and laws to govern human behavior.
How is savagery shown in Lord of the Flies?
Savagery is portrayed in “Lord of the Flies” through instances that depict a descent from civilization to primal behavior. For example, when Jack proudly admits to killing a pig, celebrating his savagery but also displaying discomfort, it epitomizes the loss of civilization and the onset of savagery.
Moreover, Jack’s escalating use of his knife, including hitting it into objects to instill fear, indicates the rising savagery and the transformation from order to chaos, as reflected in key quotes from the novel.