Jack Lord Of The Flies Quote Analysis

“The duty of the youth is to challenge corruption,” Kurt Cobain once said. The Lord of the Flies tells a fictional story of a group of kids whose plane crashes on an island. Among these boys is Jack, a choirboy who is eager to hunt and create laws. However, in Lord of the Flies, the character Jack shows himself to be an arrogant tyrant because throughout the novel he acts in a way that is cruel, evil, and violent.

First, Jack is a cruel human being who says many sadistic and heartless things. This is first mentioned in the novel when Jack says, “There were lashings of blood… you should have seen it!” (69). This quote is evidence of Jack’s barbaric nature because it reveals that he enjoys the blood of the wild pigs. Also, his enjoyment of the blood leaves

him hungry for more, which grants him the ability to kill. Jack’s cruelty is further supported when he says, “The thing is – fear can’t hurt you any more than a dream. There aren’t any beasts to be afraid of on this island… Serve you right if something did get you, you useless lot of cry-babies!” (83). This quote is important because it involves Jack insulting and scaring the already terrified littluns, rather than sympathizing with them. Furthermore, his actions create a ripple effect and cause fear to influence the boys’ decisions, such as when SamnEric fled from the fire because they thought that the beast was chasing them. In conclusion, Jack is a cruel and emotionless character.
In addition, Jack is very evil, as a result of his destructive influence on the boys.

Jack’s negative effects on others are shown when “Maurice pretended to be the pig and ran squealing into the center, and the hunters, circling still, pretended to beat him” (75). This quote displays Jack’s evil influence because he has made perfectly normal British boys act like mindless savages and participate in this sadistic ritual. The hunters seem to regress to more prehistoric times as they enjoy performing this act. Jack also changes the boys’ behavior when, “The beast struggled forward, broke the ring and fell over the steep edge of the rock to the sand by the water. At once the crowd surged after it, poured down the rock, leapt on to the beast, screamed, struck, bit, tore. There were no words, and no movements but the tearing of teeth and claws” (153). This quote is essential because it conveys that Jack has altered the boys’ minds to such a degree, that they are blinded by their bloodlust and can’t even tell that the “beast” that they are mutilating is really Simon. It also shows how delirious Jack has made these once civilized children. As you can see, Jack is not a necessarily evil person, but he creates evil

people.
Lastly, Jack is one of the most violent characters, due to his vicious actions. Jack’s bloodthirstiness is shown when he “Viciously, with full intention, [Jack] hurled his spear at Ralph. The point tore his skin and flesh over Ralph’s ribs, then sheared off and fell in the water” (181). Jack’s violence is exquisitely captured in this quote because, in the beginning of the novel, Jack has a sort of mutual respect for Ralph, but as Jack’s true nature is revealed he maims Ralph. He acts without thinking, and erupts with hatred, forgetting the rules of society and wounds his formerly admired companion. Jack’s brutality is also shown when the text states, “The chief was sitting there, naked to the waist, his face blocked out in white and red. The tribe lay in a semicircle before him. The newly beaten and untied Wilfred was sniffing noisily in the background” (160). Jack’s violent personality is shown in this quote because it clearly says that Jack had Wilfred tied up and beaten. Furthermore, the boys have no idea why Wilfred is being assaulted and the real reason is never revealed. Once again, Jack is proven to be a truly horrible person.
Everyone is evil and can be corrupted. For example, Jack was an average choirboy until he was revealed to be an arrogant tyrant because of his cruel, evil, and violent attitude. Even though corruption is everywhere, you can challenge it and, in time, you will overcome the daunting savagery of everyday life.