themes present in lord of the flies
civilization vs. savagery, loss of innocence, evil, fragility of social order
example of civilization vs. savagery
the boys attempt to establish order but it descends to chaos, from orderly meetings to violent hunts
example of loss of innocence
the boys become brutal savages from well-behaved children, highlighted by simon’s murder and piggy’s death
example of evil
the boys fear of the beast reflects their own internal darkness, revealed when they killed simom after mistaking him for the beast
example of fragility of social order
the initially structured society with rules (like holding the conch during meetings) and roles fades away as jack’s desire for power (to murder ralph and torture the boys) leads to violence