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Lord of the flies book analysis paper
Critical analysis of the novel Lord of the Flies
Critical analysis of the novel Lord of the Flies
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Who is the Winner? War has engulfed humans for centuries. However, many people do not stop and think about what war actually causes to happen. In the novel, Lord of Flies, by William Golding, conflict leads to chaos due to a lack of power. Jack’s rebellious behavior creates chaos and strips morality from the group, leading to death and a dark realization that war can only result in mutual loss. Jack resents Ralph’s power and following Ralph’s rules, while also disregarding what is asked of him, creating tension between the two. Jack constantly tries to turn the others against Ralph and undermine his opinion. When Jack does not do what is asked of him, it sparks conflict: “I was chief, and you were going to do what I said. You talk. But you can’t even build huts- then you go off hunting and let out the fire-”(71). This conflict grows when Jack does not keep the fire lit and a ship passes by. Jack wants to hunt and does not give a …show more content…
The group as a whole loses their ability to be civil with one another and lose sight of their morals, becoming like ruthless savages. He uses important issues, such as hunting and getting meat, to his advantage by telling everyone Ralph will not hunt when he says, “He’d never had got us meat. ‘He isn’t a prefect.’ He just gives orders and expects people to obey for nothing.”(126). Jack is stating that he is able to provide for the group, while Ralph’s only concern was to keep the fire going. He makes them believe that Ralph has no concern about the survival of the group. Jack also makes Ralph’s rules appear to be pointless, and makes the people feel like they are stupid for listening to him when he talks about keeping the fire going. He uses this conflict to break away from the tribe when he states: “‘I’m not going to be a part of Ralph’s lot-’ ‘I’m going off by myself”(127). When Jack says that Ralph can catch his own
In “Lord of the Flies” Ralph has the goal of getting himself and the rest of the tribe off the island. His plan to execute it is by making a signal fire that a passing ship or boat will see to rescue them. Ralph realizes that maintaining order within their tribe is crucial to their survival and chance of being saved. As chief of their group, he assigns Jack the leader of the hunters. He then puts them in charge of keeping the signal fire lit. During this process, Jack and his boys get distracted from keeping it lit as they attempt to kill a pig. After a couple of hunts, Jack and his boys finally kill a pig and return in cheers. As they get back, Ralph gets mad at Jack saying “You and your blood Jack Merridew! You and your hunting! We might have gone home” (70). Ralph is angry with Jack because he realizes as leader that he has to make sure everyone understands their main goal, and are able to focus on that by blocking out distractions. These actions that Ralph show display why he is successful as a leader and why they accomplish the goal of getting
-Ralph gets very excited after hitting the boar with his spear, showing that even Ralph, the epitome of order, can be provoked by this savagery. He also has a revelation that hunting is fun, and by doing so makes him closer to savagery. I wonder if this experience will cause Ralph to like Jack more, as he is seeing things the way Jack is now?
With such rigid and different identities, Jack and Ralph have very different priorities, making it challenging for them to work together. Ralph’s identity is threatened when Jack lets the fire burn out to go hunting, so he lashes out at him, accusing him, “I was chief, and you were going to do what I said. You talk. But you can’t even build huts-then you go off hunting and let out the fire-”(70, 71). By ignoring what Ralph told him to do, Jack threatens numerous aspects of Ralph’s identity. Ralph identifies with being elected Chief based on his plan to get rescued, so Jack’s insubordination threatens Ralph. Meanwhile,
Civilization versus savagery, order versus chaos, reason versus impulse, law versus anarchy, or simply good versus evil infinitely describe the dreadful encounters of humanity. Every battle, every political struggle, every account of internal strife embodies these conflicts. World War II demonstrates the key clash of good versus evil within society, being the most deadly, destructive and consequential war in history. After beginning in 1939, the war raged for six more years. The war’s estimated fatalities reach as high as 70 million, opening everyone’s eyes. Two significantly influenced individuals were John Knowles and William Golding, who wrote novels in response to World War II. Concerning Knowles, he joined the war effort as a part of the U.S. Army Air Force’s Aviation Cadet Program. Knowles’ novel A Separate Peace alludes to his view of World War II. Also, Knowles’ novel found its genesis in the author’s own experiences with discovering the emotional truth in his life. The story depicts a young man overcoming his immature and malicious ways through the death of a friend. Knowles acknowledges that he modeled Gene Forrester, the narrator, after himself and that Phineas, Gene’s friend, was modeled after Knowles’ own classmate. Similarly, Golding also demonstrates the dark side of human nature in his novel, Lord of the Flies. Golding’s novel focuses on a group of innocent boys that crash on a deserted island, causing them to fall into conflict and chaos. Golding’s pessimism regarding human nature derives from his experience in the Navy during World War II, where he served on mine sweepers, destroyers, and cruisers. Ultimately, both Knowles’ A Separate Peace and Golding’s Lord of the Flies display the themes of in...
Which is why he had gotten treated the way he did by Jack and the choir. The author writes, “ Jack made a rush and stabbed Ralph’s chest with his spear.” (Golding 177.) Even though Ralph is technically chief, Jack will stop at nothing to become chief. Ralph had been teasing Jack for being a thief, and that had pushed Jack over the edge, causing him to lunge towards Ralph. Jack does not have a high tolerance for Ralph’s actions, and Ralph obviously has a high tolerance for pain. William Golding states, “ ‘The chief and Roger.. They hate you, Ralph. They are going to do you.’ ‘They are going to hunt you tomorrow.’ ‘... Roger sharpened a stick at both ends.’ ” (188) As you, the reader, can probably tell, Jack certainly does not like Ralph. He only likes the faction that obeys and follows him. Those who do not obey Jack, he wants to kill. This island has really gotten to Jack, he is just pure evil now, and poor Ralph and every other character has had to deal with his
One of the main characters, Ralph, was very likeable to everyone and was almost immediately elected as the leader of the tribe, with the only competition being the leader of the choir boys, Jack. Even though Ralph just wants to get home, he remains to look strong and tough to the other boys, to try and keep things as civilized as possible. So, Ralph decides that; "We've got to have rules and obey them. After all, we're not savages. We're English, and the English are best a...
Ralph’s power at the beginning is secure but as the group succumbs to their savage instincts, Ralph’s influence declines as Jack’s rises. This is due mainly to the cruelty and violence that goes on in the story. This cruelty reveals that Ralph’s commitment to civilization and being rescued is so strong that he will not allow himself to change his morals and become cruel like the others. The cruelty in this novel also shows that Ralph is a very intelligent character. His intelligence can be proven because there was a point in the novel when he hunts a boar for the first time and he experiences the thrill of bloodlust. He also attends one of Jack’s feast where he is swept away by the frenzy and participates in the killing of Simon. This is a very tragic moment for Ralph because this is when he realizes the evil that lives within himself and every human being. It is the cruel acts that happen in this novel that reveals Ralph’s character of being intelligent and being able to think deeply about human experiences. He even weeps when getting saved because of his knowledge about the human capacity for
Denied Jack the power he craved, casing Jack to seek this control through any means necessary. Jack was conferred leadership over the hunters, formerly his choir. One of their duties being maintenance of the fire, they allowed it to go out while in a hunting trip. Having failed to signal a passing ship with smoke, Jack attempted to defend his actions by saying “We had to have them,” (70) in reference to those who should have been presiding over the fire. When Jack finally became fed up with Ralph, he attempted to usurp power. Upon failing, Jack angrily said “I’m not going to play,” (127) intent on beginning his own, rival tribe. After the majority of the island’s residents decided to join Jack, Ralph was forbidden from entering their camp, called Castle Rock. Jack even initiated sweep of the island to capture Ralph, dead or alive. These were the final moments of society on the island
When Ralph blows the conch, Jack is introduced to the reader for the first time. He is represented as an audacious and selfish boy who likes to order others around when he says "I ought to be chief, because I'm chapter chorister and head boy"(Goldberg p.22). It also confirms his hunger for power and wanting control over everything. His choleric and petulant personality can be seen when he says "Shut up, Fatty."(p.23), also revealing that he is rude and inconsiderate of others. Despite his obnoxious personality, his conscious of civilization keeps him from killing the first pig they see. He even recommends that the boys should have rules to keep things in order.
When Jack loses the election to become chief to Ralph, it becomes apparent that Jack is schismatic and wholeheartedly intends to act against Ralph’s actions and decisions. From small nuances such as churlish remarks to fights, it is obvious that Jack intends to eventually either dethrone Ralph or form his own tribe. In one instance, Ralph assigns Jack a very simplistic task of watching the fire on the mountain, yet Jack decides that his appetence for blood and meat is more important than fulfilling his duty to the fire. Disobeying Ralph’s orders, Jack defects from his post to hunt and does not attempt to have another person tend the fire in his absence. Because of Jack’s actions, Ralph verbally scolds Jack and states to Jack, “You talk. But you can’t even build hut...
Ralph shows that he has a better understanding of the boys than Jack. He knows that the boys need some sort of order on the island in order for them to survive. He starts a simple form of government and sets a few rules for them. Even though they don’t last very long, the fact that he tried to help the group is what makes him a better leader. Ralph’s wisdom and ability to look toward the future also has an advantage over Jack. He has a sense to keep his focus on getting off the island. When the fire goes out, Ralph gets upset because the chance to be rescued was gone as well. Ralph enforces his role of leadership as he gives the boys a sense of stability of an authority figure. He keeps the boys in pretty good order at the meeting by making a rule that they can only speak if they have the conch. Ralph knows that the littleuns are afraid and they need shelter to feel more secure. They work together for a while, but as the time goes on the smaller boys want to go play. They slowly lose all their help until Simon and Ralph are the only ones left to work on them. Ralph knows that this is a necessity and keeps bringing it up at the meetings. Jack, on the other hand, is doing nothing but causing chaos.
With his desire for power rapidly expanding, he starts to challenge Ralph's authority and forms another group of which he is going to be the leader. Because Jack leads the choir who are watching the fire in order to hunt pigs, Ralph and Jack argue. Ralph shouts, “The Rules! You’re breaking the rules!”(79), but Jack replies, “Who cares?”(79). He is able to challenge Ralph’s authority because he can hunt and get the food that the boys crave.
When it comes to Jack’s fear of not being chief, it brings out the worst in him and it has an effect on others. For instance, when the boys are deciding on who should be the chief, Ralph wins by a landslide. “Even the choir applauded; and the freckles on Jack’s face disappeared under a blush of mortification” (Golding 19). That is the first physical evidence of Jack being humiliated by Ralph and judging by Jack’s personality, he is not used to failure so it has a big impact on him. This motivates him to destroy Ralph and the rivalry between the two begins. Another point is that Jack uses fear and threats to control the boys. For example, when Robert tells Roger “’He’s going to beat Wilfred.’ ‘What for?’ Robert shook his head doubtfully” (Golding 176) it shows that Jack is violent and is using his...
Upon the arrival of the boys to the island Jack immediately found himself in the center of a power struggle. Although the conflict was brief, there was still a very obvious confrontation between Jack and Ralph. Once the boys had assembled themselves there was an election to see who was to be chief. Despite the fact that Ralph was voted leader, the desire to be in command never left Jack. Jack already had some leadership skills, being head choirboy at his old school, and he continuously challenged Ralph. The greatest source of conflict between Jack and Ralph was the debate over the necessity of maintaining a fire. Ralph felt that it was necessary to keep it burning at all times while Jack believed that hunting pigs and getting meat was much more essential.
Ralph first takes on the position as leader at the beginning of the story, when the rest of the boys vote him in as chief. He carries this position until Jack and his fellow hunters break away from the group. Ralph makes it his job to set out the rules to organize a society. Ralph always thinks of what is best for everyone and how they will all benefit from his decisions. Rules and standards are set when Ralph is the chief. He orders the group to build the basic necessities of civilization, shelters, and most importantly to keep the fire going, in hope that they will be rescued and return to humanity. "But I tell you that smoke is more important than the pig, however often you kill one" (Golding 75). Jack, on the other hand, takes on the idea of every man for himself. He does not care about making homes, only about hunting. When Jack is the leader, evil takes over and all good is destroyed. Under Jack's power both Simon and Piggy are killed.