Lord of the Flies by William Golding was first published in 1954 and reflects anxieties about the Cold War. In the story, a group of British boys are evacuated from England, and their plane crashes on a remote jungle island. 

The boys slowly work out what they need to do to survive, with some focusing on rescue and building shelters and others thinking that hunting will be more crucial. As the days pass, the boys form their own unique tribal society and increasingly shed civilized restraints. The start to believe in "the beast", a creature of the youngest children's nightmares, and kill the saintly Simon when they mistake him for the beast by accident. They also deliberately kill Piggy, the plump, asthmatic intellectual of the group. 

When they are finally rescued, the naval officer is horrified at how savage they have become.