Rhapsody Blues

49. Does Innocence and Savagery Exist In Mankind?

About it:

While reading Lord of the Flies by William Golding, we were discussing the themes of innocence and savagery. In the beginning, the boys were innocent but as time passed, and they spent more time on the island without adults present, their innocence was stripped and savagery was shown. 

This essay that I wrote shows whether or not innocence and savagery exists in all of mankind. 

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                                                       Does Innocence and Savagery Exist In Mankind?

       Imagine being stranded on an island with others of the same range, alienated from all known civilization for months on end. As time passes, the known morals that was once possessed are gradually stripped from each person, as savagery reveals itself in its true form. In this case, human nature assimilates the situation at hand and takes the wheel as it's the desire to stay on top of others. Mankind will even go to the extent of destruction or truculently killing of others in order to achieve it. So with that being said, does mankind possess innocence and savagery within themselves in one form or another? In fact, innocence and savagery will take form in man but is deeply rooted due to the aging of man or that the time hasn't come for it to show its true colors.

       When the time is right, man will often reveal their true colors, whether it may be staying moral or converting to the evil doings of things. There is a Cherokee legend in which it explains that there are two wolves that live inside all humans: one represents evil, embodying anger, jealousy, greed, resentment and lies, while the other one represents the good, embodying joy, peace, love, hope, kindness and truth ("A Story Of Two Wolves"). The most common quote from the legend is, "'Which wolf wins?' 'The one you feed.'" The meaning of it is the wolf that wins is the side of good or evil that humans choose to foster. Since there are countless decisions that need to be made in life, the making of the right or wrong choice determines which wolf you feed. For example, in the novel, Lord of the Flies, Jack pursues feeding the bad wolf, befouling the little purity within him, as he's set on the spree of convulsively destroying Ralph and the others, who haven't joined his tribe yet, stealing Piggy's glasses amidst the incursion (Golding 168). Having possession of Piggy's glasses is critical now that Jack is in control of the situation. On the other hand, Simon fed the good wolf as he symbolized purity and holiness amongst the clan of boys, keeping his morals intact and not once straying from them. He is similar to the bastion, the projecting wall that protects the fortress, but Simon's sanity is detaining the boys from potential maiming dangers. Also, Ralph was feeding the good wolf, chastising himself when he believed to have participated in the belligerent murder of Simon.

       The concept of savagery is inscrutable, as the definition of it may blur or differ based on varying people or civilizations. But as Webster Dictionary defines it, savagery is being in uncivilized state ("Savagery"). Yet, what does it mean to be civilized in the first place? The Free Dictionary defines the state of being civilized as showing evidence of a moral and intellectual advancement or being cultured ("Civilized"). With that being said, savagery is known to appear when mankind is withdrawn from their known civilization. The nature of it is deeply rooted within all man because like other animals, humans must endure survival of the fittest, guaranteeing that they're born to survive in the world ("Is Human Nature Savage?"). It is the natural instinct of humans to survive, and when put to the test, savagery will take its form. In context with the Lord of The Flies, the author, William Golding, shows how the boys have evolved with the progression of the book. In the beginning, the boys are civilized as they playfully threw rocks at each other, aiming to miss, but are later whelmed and consumed by savagery, dismembering Simon's body or knocking Piggy off the mountainside with a boulder. Even when one is not withdrawn from their known civilization, savagery break loose on its own without a dubious moment of thought. After all, it's a similar concept to taming a wolf or tiger because every so often, the wildness within the animals break loose, wreaking havoc everywhere. War games are created in this manner to channel the wildness. However, when war games fail, real wars are created and solved, encompassing the use of savagery (Hartwell-Walker).

       Like savagery, innocence is within all mankind. Oxford Dictionary defines it as free from moral wrong or not in a corrupted state ("Innocence"). If a man is born innocent, and this is how he perceives the world as so, why doesn't man remain innocent? The reason for that is that innocence can only be directed towards one object or a group of similar objects ("Innocence and Modern Man"). In the development of a human, man learns about different objects in an innocent manner. However, when man finds out the object's true meaning, the innocence is shattered as the meanings are different and sometimes, even contradictory ("Innocence and Modern Man"). Thus, innocence is self-destructing. For example, a young boy may perceive war on his own terms, envisioning it in his head. As the boy grows older, he learns that it involves drafting men and sending them to fight in foreign countries as many may not return home alive. The boy's perception of war and the reality of war is contradictory as the original perception may be playful but the reality strikes so hard that the innocence within himself is shattered. In the novel, The Name of The Wind, the author, Patrick Rothfuss, quotes, "When we are children, we seldom think of the future. This innocence leaves us free to enjoy ourselves as few adults can. The day we fret about the future is the day we leave our childhood behind."

       Innocence and savagery take form in man but is deeply rooted due to the aging of man or that the time hasn't come for it to show its true colors. Savagery appears in man when they are ostracized or withdrawn from their civilization, occurring when man is meant to survive under tough conditions. Otherwise, savagery takes form when one breaks loose, wreaking havoc and fights war with one another. On the other hand, innocence is there to begin with, but is gradually eradicated as man ages and learns about the reality of the world. All in all, innocence and savagery both exist in all mankind, whether it may be deeply rooted or had existed in the beginning of man.

Works Cited

"A Story of Two Wolves." Pagan And Proud Of It. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2016.

"Civilized." The Free Dictionary. Farlex, n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2016.

Hartwell-Walker, Marie, Ed.D. "The One You Feed: Helping Your Children Find Their Way." Psych Central. N.p., 2015. Web. 12 Mar. 2016.

"Innocence and Modern Man." Shefa. Hashefa, n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2016.

"Innocence." Oxford Dictionaries. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2016.

"Is Human Nature Savage?" Is Human Nature Savage? Debate.org, n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2016.

Rothfuss, Patrick. "Quotes About Innocence." GoodReads. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2016.

"Savagery." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2016.