Discuss the ideas of civility and barbarianism that exist in the first chapter of the novel.

In the first chapter of Lord of the Flies, the notions of civility and barbarism come up over and over. This repetition sets the stage for the rest of the novel as the boys struggle to maintain their civility in a situation that seems to foster barbarism.
Early in the chapter, the narrator compares the jungle to the Home Counties of England. The jungle is a setting in which barbaric behaviors soon become the norm for the boys. No grownups or rules govern the boys in the jungle, and the lack of civilization makes it difficult for the boys to find suitable food and shelter. In contrast, the Home Counties are the counties that surround the city of London, where many civilized people live comfortably according to rules created to minimize barbaric behaviors.
As well, the descriptions of Piggy's spectacles and Ralph's clothes suggest civility, and once those markers of civilization are gone, barbarism seems to take over. Piggy explains to Ralph that he has been wearing spectacles since he was three, which means he has been wearing them most of his young life. The spectacles are fragile and easily tarnished, much like the civility that Piggy and Ralph try to hold on to while the others give in to the barbarism of the jungle. When Ralph undresses and removes his shoes, his clothing, and his belt, he is taking off the civility of his previous life in a literal way. Ralph's challenge will be to maintain a new kind of civility, one that will enable him and some of the others to survive the barbarism of life on the jungle island.

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