Ralph tells the boys in the beginning of the novel that his father is a Naval officer. The military is symbolic of adults, of society. When the boys are stranded on the island, due to their inherent evil nature (which Golding believes we all have in our hearts), they resort to the "beasts" that they are, in their hearts. All mankind, left to his own devices, resorts to evil, Golding seems to be implying. It is not society that it is evil, it is man. The only thing that keeps this evil in check is society, rules, or on a higher level, morality and God. Golding attempts to show this by having a group of innocent children, uncorrupted by society, turn evil when they are not under the constraints of society. The fact that the children can turn into beasts shows that evil is within us all.
Therefore, it is irony when a symbol of that very society shows up to rescue the boys. As soon as the Naval officer appears, the boys immediately become children again and start crying. Plus, the appearance of the officer with his ship in the distance proves that the war is still going on, another irony because the boys are removed from society's war, but they have been engaged in another war - a battle that takes place on a spiritual level.
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