True. It is plausible. At the same time I have to think that if the human race hasn't evolved to factor cooperation in tribes in most cases, we wouldn't be here discussing this.

Studies on the phenomenon called Elite Panic suggest that people in general are more cooperative in disastrous events than normally assumed by the elite, and often a lot of the rest of us too.

I feel like more than likely, the kids would just end up dying from exposure or starvation. Especially if it was all toddlers.

I think this is a great point. However, and I don't think this takes away from what you are saying, the kids (in your US-centric example) would have a better chance of getting along than if they were kept together in society. For one, shared hardship has been shown to be a very effective means to breaking down tribalism. For two, being left in society would mean they'd have external forces bearing down on them to keep them in tribal lines. It's precisely "civilization" that creates and inculcates these prejudices. But people take the opposite lesson home: that apart from "civilization", humans become brutal and violent.

The link above had this to say about the author:

I learned what an unhappy individual he had been: an alcoholic, prone to depression. “I have always understood the Nazis,” Golding confessed, “because I am of that sort by nature.” And it was “partly out of that sad self-knowledge” that he wrote Lord of the Flies.

So not necessarily allegory. It seems more a bleak worldview portrayed through fiction.

That might be a little advanced for this audience.

Is it? A lot of people seem to have come to the conclusion that its characters are realistic.

The novel is styled as allegorical fiction, embodying the concepts of inherent human savagery, mob mentality, and totalitarian leadership. However, Golding deviates from typical allegory in that both the protagonists and the antagonists are fully developed, realistic characters.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_of_the_Flies

Golding’s work is a powerful exploration of the inherent capacity for savagery within human beings when societal structures are removed. The novel touches on themes such as the loss of innocence, the struggle between civilization and savagery, and the fragility of societal norms.

https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/flies/

it serves as an interesting look at the dark side of human nature and how no one is beyond its reach. Plus, anyone who had a bit of a rough time in high school will probably not find the events in this book a huge leap of the imagination

The scary thing about this book is how real it is. The Lord of the Flies bespeaks the brilliance of realistic dystopian fiction, it gives you a possible world scenario, a bunch of very human characters and then it shows you want might happen when they are thrown into a terrible situation: they act like monsters (or humans?)

the author very realistically portrays human behavior in an environment where civilization no longer has meaning.

If you have never experienced the amount of destructive power that is possible in that short time-span, you might think Golding exaggerates. Unfortunately, I can see any group of students turning into the characters in The Lord Of The Flies if they are put in the situation.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7624.Lord_of_the_Flies

If it's not supposed to be realistic, he did a shitty job of communicating that.

Lol, this was what I was thinking. It wasn’t meant to be taken literally

Great read but I am highly sceptical of Rutger Bregman, just from watching his attitude in motivational videos. He reminds me of people mostly interested in promoting themselves. I hope I am wrong.