"Civilisation is a veneer; we are all savages at heart" Discuss this statement in relation to The Lord of the Flies.

A veneer is something that hides something unpleasant or unwanted. In this case it is the savagery that is being hidden by civilisation.
In The Lord of the Flies this is best seen through the two main characters of Ralph and Jack. Ralph is the elected and respected leader of the boys whereas Jack is his rival who believes that he should be the chief. In my opinion the two boys represent the two competing philosophies of life on the island. Jack has his own band of followers (the choir), even from the beginning when Ralph calls the first meeting with the conch. He thinks that because he…