In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, many different aspects of symbolism are presented well into the novel. From themes of democracy to the evil of man kind, almost every moral issue of society is compacted within the novel.The novel starts out as a group of little boys are stranded on an island without any adult survivors. When the boys first arrive on the island they are a very civilized lot,"The creature was a party of boys, dressed in strangely eccentric clothing. Shorts, shirts, and different garments they carried in their hands; but each boy wore a square black cap with a silver badge on it. Their bodies, from throat to ankle, were hidden by black cloaks which bore a long silver cross on the left breast and each neck was finished off with a hambone frill" (18). As the story progresses, however, the boys turn from civilization to complete chaos and dystopia. This turn of events is lead by Jack, the antagonist of the book. The character Jack as well as the use of face paint are the two main methods used by Golding to illustrate the roots of man when taken away from civilization and society, savagery.
Jack, the natural antagonist of the book, ultimately becomes the purest form of savageness on the island. Jack at first wanted just to be the leader of the boys. He had come to the conclusion that since he had cartain skills that he was best fit to lead the group, "I ought to be chief," said Jack with simple arrogance, "because I"m chapter chorister and head boy. I can sing a C sharp""(21). Spited of this position, Jack is humiliated and shamed and turns to hunting instead. He is fascinated of this hunting business, as he had never really had to hunt before. As time passed this fascination of hunting pigs turned into an obsession, a need to kill. "Jack was on top of the sow, stabbing downward with his knife.-Then Jack found the throat and the hot blood spouted over his hands.