“If you are in denial, you are trying to protect yourself by refusing to accept the truth about something that is happening in your life. In some cases, initial short-term rejection can be a good thing, giving you time to adjust to a painful or stressful problem. It may also be a precursor to making some sort of change in your life” (Mayo Clinic Staff 2014). Many forms of denial are found in William Golding's novel Lord of the Flies. The group denies the severity of their situation, some deny their true character, and others deny their actions because they cannot believe they are capable of such bad behavior. Golding uses the recurring themes of denial and disbelief among his characters to illustrate that without the structures of society, people will eventually turn to uncivilized and savage behavior, whether they want to believe it or not. Throughout the novel the boys return to childish playfulness, thus denying to themselves that they are actually in a terrible situation. Even at the beginning of the story, when the boys first arrive on the island, they don't think much about the rescue or their future life on the island. For example, when Ralph is first elected chief, he reports, "'While we wait we can have fun on this island,' he gestured broadly... 'This is our island. It's a beautiful island. Until the grown-ups will come and get us, we'll have fun.'” (Ralph 35) This illustrates their mentality that there is no real danger or struggle to survive facing the truth of their situation. It may be a long time before they are saved or, worse yet, they may never be saved. Later in the novel, when the boy... at the center of the paper... and the disbelief among the his characters to illustrate that without the structures of society, people will eventually turn to savagery whether they want to believe it or not instead of acting like they were kids on an adventure, things would be different. If they had addressed their issues with leadership, organization, and rules and addressed them honestly without making excuses, things would have been different. If they had the courage to admit their role in the things that went wrong instead of pretending they didn't happen, things would have been different. Golding is telling us in Lord of the Flies what can happen if we live in denial. Always face the truth about your situation and especially about yourself.