How do we, as human beings, define civilization? What exemplifies our commonality as a species and distinguishes us from the common beast? Is it art, science, literature , technological advances or philosophical mind? In Lord of the Flies, Golding successfully reveals our delicate perceptions of what makes us human through a series of disturbing and powerfully constructed symbols of the most integral beast, the Lord of the Flies themselves and fire . Through its narrative, enlightenment is cast on the evil inherent in human nature and society is revealed as a weak and easily penetrable facade. Furthermore, our level of sophistication is illuminated as a tool for unparalleled malevolence, empowering the. our powers of destruction beyond those of all our primordial ancestors. Golding constructs these images carefully, and at their center lies the concept of the beast at the heart of the island, crawling through the dark foliage of the jungle, the boys begin to personify it unconsciously the beast like the serpent. They are overwhelmed by fear of the invisible monster that attacks from all fronts, land and sea, and from which there is no refuge. This broad abstraction of the beast later crystallizes for the reader as it evolves into the Dead Paratrooper, who, despite being human, is gone, still trapped by a "complication of lines." His artificial trap, which will remain long after his earthly body has decayed, gives the illusion of life to the deceased soldier. This dead paratrooper is rightly called a “message from the adult world,” as the parachute represents the final metaphor for the empty, bureaucratic constructs that serve as both the pillars and bars of society. Because beyond wars, the... center of... paper society. Yet, darkly and ironically, he observes that the same achievements that civilize us and advance us beyond those like animals actually allow for a wider range of possibilities within human savagery. However, Lord of the Flies is not a fatalistic statement about the insurmountable nihilism of humanity. In the novel's open ending, a thread of human diplomacy remains, however close to extinction by the barbarian. This fraction of hope is an invocation to humanity, so that it can rediscover its humanity. It is an evocation of the goodness that resides within us all and a call to examine the path we have chosen to take as a species. But above all, Lord of the Flies is a conjecture about our future doom formulated by a man who has witnessed in his life the atrocity and carnage that is potentially in the hands and souls of people..