...In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the two main characters, Jack and Ralph, have similarities and differences. Ralph is the first character introduced in the novel. He becomes a leader very quickly, and he has a more relaxed style of leadership. Jack is introduced later in the same chapter as leader of choir boys, but he is hungry for more power very early on. Ralph and Jack are characterized differently in Lord Of The Flies through the way they achieve leadership, morals, and their styles of government. While the most obvious leader was Jack, Ralph became the leader of the group when all of the kids voted him as the “chief”. Ralph was distinguished as their chief because “...there was a stillness about Ralph as he sat that marked him out: there was his size, and attractive appearance; and most obscurely, yet most powerfully, there was the conch.” (Golding 22). Ralph was almost unanimously voted as chief over Jack and he accepted this role. Jack was very unhappy with this solution and wanted to be in charge, so Ralph was intimidated into giving Jack some power. Because of this, Ralph decided, “ Jack’s in charge of the choir. They can...
Words: 550 - Pages: 3
...The “masked” character Jack from Lord of the Flies is easily shown to have two different sides. Jack has a whole new personality once the face paint covers the real him. When Jack lands on the island he is already attempting to take control over the choir and has everyone believe he is the leader of them. His personality becomes more aggressive when he first goes to hunt. He sees a pig trapped in a bush and is afraid to kill it. He hesitates during this and lets the pig run away freely. Since that moment, he puts on a face paint from natural resources and it gives him a new character. He has the same encounter with a pig while hunting and kills it with ease. Ralph showed his joy and said excitedly “looked we killed a pig” (69 Golding) when...
Words: 284 - Pages: 2
...Throughout the book Lord of the Flies, Jack goes through several transformations. He starts out as the leader of his choir; someone who is seen as an orderly leader seeking precision in everything he does. This is shown when Jack yells, “Choir! Stand still!” (Golding 19). Although he is shown as orderly in the beginning, he soon gives us hints about his more aggressive and harsh side. He starts by pointing out Piggy, saying, “Shut up, Fatty.” (Golding 21). Towards the end of the book, he has turned into someone wild and untameable; he has lost control of himself and has succumb to the beast within. Jack was the leader of the hunters, or ‘savages’, on the island. He went out with his boys and hunted pigs for them to eat. Not to mention, when...
Words: 727 - Pages: 3
...In Goldberg's novel, Lord of the Flies, Jack has been a character that has remained evil, dangerous and power hungry. The author demonstrates this by Jack's emotions, behavior, and physical characterization. In the beginning of the book, Jack's emotions shows how he thinks he deserves resect right away. In Lord of the Flies, it says, “‘Kids’ names,’ said Merridew. ‘Why should I be Jack? I'm Merridew’” (Goldberg 21). In this case, Jack believes that he deserves respect from the boys’ right away. Jack thinks that he was above everyone else. When you want to go by your last name, that means you want to receive more authority and respect from others. By going by his last name, Jack has more domenice, that leads to power and respect. Another reason...
Words: 1125 - Pages: 5
...help an individual survive. In William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies, the boys’ actions affect them and the people around them. The story follows a group of boys who crash land on a deserted island. Jack is one of the leaders who makes poor decisions, which affect all of their lives. The boys’ selfish actions also have major impacts on the plot in regards to Piggy death, Simon’s death, and the corruption of Jack’s mind. For example, narcissism is shown when Piggy dies. Roger throws a rock at Piggy, it results in Piggy’s death. Roger killed Piggy because he could, realizing that no one on the island can, or will, limit his cruelty. Piggy’s death shows just how bad thing have gotten. No one values human life anymore. The boys’ have lost their humanity and become more self centered than ever. All that...
Words: 445 - Pages: 2
...Along with the story of Adam and Eve, another character that may play a role in this story would be Jack. Physically, Ralph was one of the first to approach the Beast. When Jack, Simon, and Ralph are returning from the mountain they find a piglet tied up. Yes, the piglet was small and “innocent” but in this Novel, a pig is the second form of the Beast. It wasn't really the killing of the pig that started the darkness, it was when this piglet had appeared. Jack was always all about what he was capable of, so when he “chickened out” of killing the pig, it made him aspire to kill the next and after, he had nothing holding him back from killing anything else. The piglet was like Eve’s apple, after taking a look at it and seeing how great it looks...
Words: 529 - Pages: 3
...Jack is most responsible for the demise of the society of the island because of his savagery. Jack’s transformation from a choir boy to a brutal beast begins when he makes his first kill. Since arriving on the island, Jack was enamored with the idea of hunting, and became frustrated after failing to kill a pig. Afterwards, he experiments with masking his face with paint. After simply painting his face, Jack’s demeanor changes as he becomes more confident and fierce. Jack manages to kill a pig and chants about the pig’s death with the rest of the choir boys. The boys chant, "Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Spill her blood". After making his first kill, Jack is excited and exhilarated, proudly describing his accomplishment to Ralph and the other...
Words: 435 - Pages: 2
...With all of the chaos erupting on the island in the book "Lord of the Flies' by William Golding, Jack tends to stir the pot between him and Ralph. Jack does many things to put Ralph in trouble and make him seem like a bad person. Ralph is a better leader than Jack in Lord Of The Flies. The first reason why Ralph is a better leader than Jack is because of his ability to stay calm when tensions between the group arise. On page 33, it is said by Ralph that "That's what this shell's called." I'll give the conch to the next person to speak to. He can hold it when he's speaking." And he won't be interrupted. Except by me. This shows that Ralph is prioritizing the peace between everyone and ensuring that when people want to speak, they can. This example of Ralph using the conch supports my claim because when the conch is allowed to be used by a certain person, this creates the person to be able to share what they are feeling without backlash or judgment in the moment, which internally and externally creates calmness within them, which makes people feel secure and safe with Ralph being the leader that he is....
Words: 545 - Pages: 3
...Tybalt and Jack; Similar, yet Different. Both Tybalt from Romeo and Juliet and Jack from The Lord of the Flies share similarities, like their constant need to resort to violence, but their difference drastically separate them from each other. They use violence constantly to resolve their issues. For example, Tybalt picked a fight with Romeo and Mercutio simply because he did not like them and wanted to show them he was stronger, similar to Jack, who punished boys who made an error or angered him. Although they both seem to use violence as often as they can, it is important to remember that Jack was losing his mind, while Tybalt was just rude. Even though Jack was ill-behaved, he did at some point have the ability...
Words: 318 - Pages: 2
...morning Your Honour and ladies and gentlemen of the jury. I stand before you today with the task of prosecuting Jack Merridew on account of the murders of Simon Jones and Paul Smith, commonly known as Piggy. The tangled and tragic events that took place on the island are difficult to comprehend yet amidst all of this it becomes apparent who was at fault. Jack Merridew. He was a bully, he was self-obsessed and he was a savage. Firstly, the survivors have repeatedly mentioned Jacks inner cruelty, his bullying and his discriminatory attitudes. These became evident from the onset of the time on the island. Jack accused Simon of “throwing a faint” and often told Piggy to “shut up” whilst labelling him as “Fatty”. You may ask why these incidents are of importance? Well, they set in place the groundwork for what is to come. These events stir up initial hatred and outcast towards Simon and Piggy. These events are what result in mass confusion, physical violence and ultimately the victims’ deaths....
Words: 519 - Pages: 3
... Does it sound great? A group of boys found that the greatness of total freedom was short-lived. In the novel, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, a group of boys find out certain things they were once grateful for. This novel is an allegorical novel because of its major symbols. These symbols represent the fate of the boys and how they should appreciate what they had. The first major symbol is the conch shell. The shell is first used to gather everyone out of the forest. The group crashed on this island and were separated throughout the forest. By blowing the conch shell, everyone was reunited. However, the conch shell took on a very different meaning shortly after. "'That's what this shell's called. I'll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he's speaking'" (Golding 33). The conch is now a symbol of power. Whoever has the conch is allowed to speak. No one else is allowed to interrupt the speaker with the conch. This power soon goes to the boys' head. "The rock struck Piggy a...
Words: 704 - Pages: 3
...10 February 2015 Lord of the Flies Essay "Humanity has evil tendenc[ies] within its nature" (David Wilson). Jack, a choir boy from England, represents the evil incarnate and explains that within human nature, evil lies in oneself even when it is not projected. In Golding's Lord of the Flies, Jack, the Devil Figure, expresses the ideas about one's inner evil as he evolves from a choir leader to a ruthless varmint while spending time on a deserted island. In the beginning of Lord of the Flies, Jack, who emerges from the jungle dressed in black, possesses a dominant trait of a controlling personality. When Ralph first blows the sound of the conch, Jack and his choir come from the jungle, and as they approach Ralph, Jack tells them to "stand still" (Golding 20). The reader can identify his authoritative nature as he demands these words, which establishes his significance and rule in the choir, and the other boys can sense this superiority as well. Moreover, the audience can analyze that Jack has a manipulative influence in the novel due to the fact that he claims he "ought to be chief because [he is]...head boy"; therefore, he is making himself out to be the most qualified for the position as he points out his role of control in the choir (Golding 22). Likewise, the other boys on the island describe Jack to be "the most obvious leader," which in return proves to the reader that Jack's commanding attitude is not the only reason that defines him as a leader; the other boys' perspective...
Words: 1304 - Pages: 6
...different responses in people. When someone you know dies, many thoughts go around your mind. Some people become murderous in revenge, others become sad and depressed and shut out the world. The Lord of the Flies is a novel about a group of boys that are in a plane crash and became stranded on an island. The boys are forced to adapt to their environment and struggle to survive and in the process, several of the boys are lost. Simon’s death is the most important event in the Lord of the Flies because it leads to character development in Ralph and Jack, it also emphasizes the depravity of man. Simon’s death is the most important event because it is a significant event in the plot that adds to themes and helps character's develop. Simon’s death is the arrival of evil on the island within the boys, this is where they begin to realize they are becoming mad. After Simon was killed on the stormy night down on the beach the...
Words: 1384 - Pages: 6
...How could Lord of the Fliesbe described as an allegory? If it is an allegory, what message does Golding want to get across to his readers? What allegorical roles are the characters playing? Allegory Allegory is a form of extended metaphor, in which objects, persons, and actions in a narrative, are equated with the meanings that lie outside the narrative itself. The underlying meaning has moral, social, religious, or political significance, and characters are often personifications of abstract ideas as charity, greed, or envy. Thus an allegory is a story with two meanings, a literal meaning and a symbolic meaning. Types of allegory 1. Political allegory 2. Social allegory 3. Religious allegory POLITICAL ALLEGORY Political Allegory in William Golding's Lord of the Flies’ “Lord of the Flies is an allegory on human society today, the novel's primary implication being that what we have come to call civilization is, at best, no more than skin-deep" Though the need for civilization is focused on in this novel, the significance of political order, shown allegorically, is consistently referenced to. When utilizing political allegory, the characters are used as symbols that, overall, represent some kind of political organization. In Lord of the Flies, the persons, or characters allegorized include Ralph, Jack, Piggy, Roger, the biguns, and the littluns; each considered an important component of their political establishments. For most every society, there is a system...
Words: 1635 - Pages: 7
...The Abominable Man William Golding's novel Lord of the Flies was published in 1952, seven years after the disastrous WWII. During the war, the veil of civilization was exposed very center revealing the true underlying evil of mankind, resulting in the death of millions including one victim; Anne Frank. Although she was hiding in a annex for two years because of the result of the brutality of people’s discrimination, she wrote; “It's really a wonder that I haven't dropped all my ideals, because they seem so absurd and impossible to carry out. Yet I keep them, because in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.” It is hard to think that such a young and innocent girl would perish soon after writing this in the concentration camps constructed by the Nazis. The Nazis’ brutal ‘purification’ of the world, leaving millions dead in the brutal concentration camps and the horrific gas chambers, exemplify Golding’s ideas of mankind; brutal, destructive and evil which are inherent in human nature. The use of Jack, the pig hunts, the Lord of the Flies, Simon and the island that Golding believes in the idea that evil in an inborn characteristic of the archaic human race. Golding's use of characterization of Jack portrays the capacity of evil and violence which men are capable of due to their inborn human nature of evil. This is indicated when Jack, feeling especially bloodthirsty after a pig hunt starts to chant: " Kill the pig, cut his throat! Kill the...
Words: 964 - Pages: 4