34 THE FAITHFUL READER ty, they collapse into a democracy. Though Jack volunteers himself to lead, Ralph is eventually chosen as “chief ” by a vote. The first decisions are simple. Ralph decides Jack and his choir should start and mind a fire. Ralph and the others attempt to build shelters, while young boys carry water. The boys struggle against the elements and grow tired of fruit. Jack’s choir transforms into a hunting party in search of feral hogs. Their efforts are aided by Jack’s large, sharp knife, which he proudly displays. The ingredients for survival, and perhaps a thriving settlement, are present: natural resources, a system of authority, and plenty of work to be done. Instead, the story turns toward the darkest corners of human nature. The fragile community dissolves into strife, violence, and inhumanity. Checks on Human Nature Dissolve Like cars on a highway, the boys arrived at the island with guardrails in place. They carried not just civilization, but English civilization. As Jack says early in the story, “after all, we’re not savages. We’re English, and the English are best at everything.” When these children, in their time and place, think of England, they think of the culture that defined the British Empire, which spanned the globe. They think of themselves not as savages, but as people who civilize savages. There is more than a whiff of superiority in Jack’s statement, an expectation that things will be fine simply because of the heritage they carry. For Golding, none of this matters. Away from English soil, the boys shed their proper school uniforms and the civilization they represent. On an island where the Union Jack never waved, savagery lurks within the heart of a literal choirboy who should know better. When events spiral out of control, Ralph confronts a tribe transformed, with boys wearing blood as warpaint. “Are we savages or what?” he cries. Piggy arrives with a firm grip on “Auntie’s rules.” Ralph claims they need rules to get things done. Jack says, “we’ll have rules!” and when those rules are broken, “Wacco!” In Lord of the Flies, an orderly group of children are suffering a catastrophe. As they grapple with how to respond, they begin with guidelines for behavior. Every society, from the simplest tribe
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