some readers of lord of the flies have argued that each and every one of the boys actions is nothing more than an attempt to survive in difficult conditions.

No, Golding is clear that these boys were meant for self destruction. They, like all of us, are profoundly flawed right down to killing their Christ-figure. Survival had little to do with their many barbaric exploits. Consider the killing of the sow. I still cringe reading that section despite teaching this novel so many times. Golding uses rape imagery to describe the murder of this sow. Their sexual awakening is twisted. Sexual domination, humiliation and the thrill of butchering a helpless animal pretty much condemns these boys to their eventual fate. No, survival had little to do with anything most of these boys did on the island.