At the conclusion of Golding's novel, Lord of
the Flies, there are implications the British officer is appalled that the
boys who appear to have degenerated into savages have not made a "good show" and
remained more civilized. For traditionally, decorum is held in high regard by the
British (One does not display weakness). Remembering that the boys, who are
Australian--not English--are members of the English Commonwealth, the officer makes this
remark as he is also somewhat embarrassed, as a fellow Brit, by what he perceives
as their breakdown.
His remark that chides the boys for not
having been civilized and overcome adversity as the English schoolboys did in the
Victorian novel, The Coral Island, is quite ironic in light of the
fact that he wears a military uniform and is from a warship which engages in anything
but "civilized" actions. Golding's juxtaposition of these contrasts points to the
inherent evil in man, an evil that is present even in the "deus ex machina" that saves
Ralph from certain death at the hands of the savages.
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