There are many themes in Lord of the Flies, but the one theme that continually recurs throughout the novel is civilization versus savagery. As the novel progresses, you can clearly see a transition in the way the boys behave. Originally, the boys who survived the plane crash are civil toward each other, following the rules set by society and refusing to intrude into a group of Neanderthals. Midway through the book, this code of conduct begins to be broken by the rebellious members of Jack's newly developed tribe. This throws the boys into disarray. By the end of the novel, the boys are true savages and have abandoned all the rules set by society. The boys are civilized at the beginning of the book. They respect the rules while maintaining the peace. An illustration of these civil acts is the conch. The shell is used for designation and initiation purposes. The boy with the shell was to be the speaker, the other boys were to be the listeners. Additionally, the shell was used to call other boys to initiate meetings. On page 16 it says: “We can use this to call others. Have a meeting. They will come when they hear us…”. On page 33 it says “…I will give the conch to the next person who speaks.” (…) » Further on, this page specifies: “And it will not be interrupted. Except by me. Another example of their civilization is that they want to purify themselves. On page 35, Jack announces: “There is food; and the bathing water in that little stream over there - and everything. (…) » A great example of civilization is the construction of shelters. On page 45, Piggy says, "I've got the conch!" Just listen! The first thing we should have built was some shelters there, near the beach. » Towards the middle of this book, the evolution of civilization... in the middle of a paper... screams these words. Finally, it shows the savagery of the boys because Simon was the symbol of Christ; the symbol of innocence. By killing Simon, they simultaneously killed the boys' innocence. The most frequently seen theme in the novel Lord of the Flies is civilization to the point of savagery. The theme progresses chronologically, with the boys being civilized and decent at the beginning and completely wild at the end. They begin the transition when Jack creates his new tribe, show more when he gathers all the boys on the island, and end when the tribe makes a horrible attempt to kill Ralph. This theme is recurring throughout the novel and serves not only as a supporting structure, but also as a building structure for the storyline. Works Cited Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York: Berkley Publishing Group, 1954.