Golding set out, in Lord of the Flies, to prove that humans are indeed basically savage and only civilization has made a difference to the way we behave - the need to conform. Lord of the Flies was

an attempt to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature.

He believed that, once the rules no longer apply, conflicting human instincts and survival skills will cause man to descend into violence - survival being the only motivator.

Lord of the Flies, ..., essentially explores the dark side of what Golding felt was the true nature of man: evil.

At the same time, Golding does acknowledge that...

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