In his fictional novel Lord of the Flies, William Golding follows the narrative of young boys stranded on a deserted island and their struggles to maintain civilization and the aspects of their old lives. Amid the blistering heat of the island, there is a wrestle for power between Ralph, who wants to leave the island as soon as possible, and Jack Merridew, the “chapter chorister and head boy” (22). Jack wants to hunt the pigs on the island for meat and becomes a savage, only focusing on power as through his actions hunting, spilling blood, and becoming chaotic, Golding exemplifies the novel’s underlying idea that violence accompanies those who seek power. Early in the novel, the boys get together and have a meeting. Jack acts proudly, taking control. He calls Piggy “fatty” (21) while also telling him he “talk[s] too much” (21). …show more content…
He eventually leaves the group of boys as he says he’s “nobody going to play with. [them] any longer” (127). A ‘“small group of boys” (133) follow Jack into their own tribe as they hunt for meat. Jack establishes he is “going to be chief” (133) and they need to hunt, as he now has the authority he wants. As the new tribe goes out to hunt, the boys see a large group of pigs, but Jack spots “the largest sow of the lot” (134) and points her out to the rest of the group. In a relentless chase to catch the sow, the pig, “struck down by the heat” (135) falls over. As the boys hurl themselves at her and the air is full of “blood and terror” (135), Golding pushes forth his message that violence comes along with power. Jack is now the leader and has power, so he makes more brash decisions and becomes more violent, as seen in attacking the sow, the leader of the pigs. After much violence toward the sow, Jack “finds the throat and. hot blood spout[s] over his hands” (135). Due to all of the blood, the boys become more savage and Jack even rubs “the stuff” (135) over another boy’s
Golding's Lord of the Flies is highly demonstrative of Golding's opinion that society is a thin and fragile veil that when removed shows man for what he truly is, a savage animal. Perhaps the best demonstration of this given by Golding is Jack's progression to the killing of the sow. Upon first landing on the island Jack, Ralph, and Simon go to survey their new home. Along the way the boys have their first encounter with the island's pigs. They see a piglet caught in some of the plants. Quickly Jack draws his knife so as to kill the piglet. Instead of completing the act, however, Jack hesitates. Golding states that, "The pause was only long enough for them to realize the enormity of what the downward stroke would be." Golding is suggesting that the societal taboos placed on killing are still ingrained within Jack. The next significant encounter in Jack's progression is his first killing of a pig. There is a description of a great celebration. The boys chant "Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Spill her blood." It is clear from Golding's description of the revelry that followed the killing that the act of the hunt provided the boys with more than food. The action of killing another living thing gives them pleasure. The last stage in Jack's metamorphosis is demonstrated by the murder of the sow. Golding describes the killing almost as a rape. He says, "Jack was on...
Golding has a rather pessimistic view of humanity having selfishness, impulsiveness and violence within, shown in his dark yet allegorical novel Lord of the Flies. Throughout the novel, the boys show great self-concern, act rashly, and pummel beasts, boys and bacon. The delicate facade of society is easily toppled by man's true beastly nature.
In Lord of the Flies, William Golding expresses the idea that humans are naturally immoral, and that people are moral only because of the pressures of civilization. He does this by writing about a group of boys, and their story of survival on an island. The civilized society they form quickly deteriorates into a savage tribe, showing that away from civilization and adults, the boys quickly deteriorate into the state man was millions of years ago. This tendency is shown most in Jack, who has an animalistic love of power, and Roger, who loves to kill for pleasure. Even the most civilized boys, Ralph and Piggy, show that they have a savage side too as they watch Simon get murdered without trying to save him. Simon, the only one who seems to have a truly good spirit, is killed, symbolizing how rare truly good people are, and how quickly those personalities become corrupted.
Jack begins the novel partially innocent, cruel enough to yell at the boys yet pure enough to hesitate when faced with the task of killing the pig. Jack obtains the tools necessary to kill the pig, yet claims to need help cornering the animal. Jack, not truly needing help to kill the pig but rather needing the support provided by the mob mentality, acquires the support of his choir and together the boys hunt and kill the pig, all the while chanting, “Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Spill her blood”...
In the allegoric novel, Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, Jack Merridew is a member of a group of young boys who crash on an island and form a micro-society who elect a boy, Ralph, as their leader. Jack Merridew develops an aversion towards Ralph due to his jealousy and thirst for power over those weaker than him, and encourages the rest of the boys on the island to break away from their once-functioning society. Jack craves the power to control and do as he pleases, and he fractures the flimsily structured society the boys create and rebuilds it as a corrupt shell of what it had been. Golding wields Jack's descent into a power-hungry revolt against Ralph to present the idea that mankind's thirst for power and bloodlust will break loose
Williams Golding’s novel, The Lord of the Flies, tells the story of a group of young boys who crash on an island. Imagine paradise, a beautiful beach, a lush jungle, no adults, no rules, and no responsibilities. After crashing, one of the boys, Piggy, meets Ralph, the story’s protagonist. The two decide to call a meeting of the boys on the island, where they all discuss who will be the “chief” of the group. The candidates are Ralph, charismatic, organized, and confident, and Jack, who is popular due to his prior relationships with other boys on the island.
A civilization is an advanced habitat of many levels and a dignified social structure. A place where its inhabitants live by rules, made so people stay in order, with a purpose to everyone's life. A job, so everyone can succeed and pursue their own form of happiness. As depicted William Golding's Lord of the Flies, when one is alone on an island with nothing but the companionship of a group of boys, one resorts to its savage behaviors, dark powers to control the mind. In this time of need and desperation, wisdom and good-heartedness is ignored, only the purest form of savagery accepted. In civilization, one relies on one another, and when food is scarce, a new leader is born. Golding expresses many symbols to explain
In William Golding’s allegorical novel, Lord of the Flies, characters Ralph, Piggy, Jack, Simon, and a group of young British schoolboys crash land on an uninhabited island where there “aren’t any grownups anywhere” (7) or real form of authority. Some innocent children are oblivious to the direness of their situation and see the tropical island as a fun adventure where they can build sand castles and throw rocks without caring otherwise. Ralph is voted chief and Jack is appointed as leader of the hunters and as one of the carefree boys, he focuses more on hunting and less on the stability of sanity amongst the boys. Jack attempts to hunt a piglet, however a moment of hesitation and the fear of the sight of “unbearable blood” (36) proves Jack
In Lord of the Flies, William Golding illustrates how people are naturally savage and uncivilized, not inherently good or evil, as their environment and circumstances influence their behavior. Before they crash-landed on the island, the boys were all good, but as the story unfolds, we see the boys become more hostile and much more violent. Golding portrays this transformation through characters like Jack, who initially embodies kindness but undergoes a significant shift toward aggression and violence on the island. Jack's descent into savagery illustrates how environmental factors can overrule inherent goodness, leading to destructive behavior. “Jack made a rush and stabbed Ralph's chest with his spear...
Robert Louis Stevenson once said, “In each of us, two natures are at war – the good and the evil. All our lives the fight goes on between them, and one of them must conquer.”. This internal conflict couldn't be more evident than in the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, as he uses a group of boys stranded on an island, liberated from authority, as they fight between their good and bad sides. In this novel, William Golding demonstrates how all human beings have a natural capacity for brutality and evil. One way that William Golding conveys that all human beings have a natural capacity for brutality and evil is through the character of Jack.
The Innate Evil Within Mankind: How Golding Portrayed the Truth of Humanity. Practically everyone ever alive has witnessed some sort of conflict. Whether it be a small spat that soon subsides or a war spanning years, people are known for their fights. In his novel Lord of the Flies, William Golding depicts a group in which the only success lay through bloodshed, and in this way, he portrays the true malicious nature of human society.
William Golding's "Lord of the Flies" is a profound exploration of human nature and the inherent capacity for both good and evil within individuals. Set against the backdrop of a deserted island, the novel delves into the descent of a group of British schoolboys into savagery and chaos. At its core, the novel grapples with the fundamental question of whether civilization is merely a thin veneer over the innate brutality of human nature. Through the character of Jack Merridew, Golding presents a compelling case for the fragility of civilization and the destructive consequences of unchecked ambition and primal instincts. Jack Merridew, initially depicted as the head of the choirboys, emerges as one of the central figures in the boys' society.
Literature, in its myriad forms, serves to challenge our perceptions, push us out of our comfort zones, and encourage us to critically analyse the world around us. William Golding’s ‘Lord of the Flies’ explores universal concepts and mature themes through its use of language and form. The novel presents a stark portrayal of the corruption that can infiltrate those in positions of power. This theme is deftly embodied in the character development of the ‘leaders’ in the narrative, namely Ralph and Jack.
The abrupt moral decline of the boys in The Lord of the Flies, resulting in a savage tribe, can be traced back to faults within the individual characters. Without the imagained, imposed barriers of civility, the primitive tendencies of the characters are expressed. From the beginning, Jack targets Piggy, both of whom are older boys in the novel. The first instance of this is when Jack says Piggy is ‘talking too much,’ and calls him ‘Fatty’ (17). Through Jack and Piggy’s relationship, Golding introduces the hierarchy of strength that will form the basis of the boy’s savage tribe.
Golding creates a world of increasing violence as time goes on throughout this book by showing the characters’ differences in personality, allowing the setting and events to force the boys to make choices, and by allowing the boys to behave in unthinkable ways which allows for both us as readers and the characters to be able to understand how violence can occur without humans being fully conscious of what actions, impulses, and desires they are acting upon. The boys who have become stranded on this island have extremely strong and prominent personalities which causes them to argue and fight over what to do and how they should figure out ways in order to survive the new world they have to learn to survive in. In chapter one of Lord of the Flies, we first meet Ralph and Piggy. Then, as the chapter continues, we are also introduced to Jack, Simon, and a few other