Jack Merridew's Savagery

Being stranded on an island can be rather popular in today’s literature. However, Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, is very much unlike any other book one has ever read. Through his intense metaphors and amazing character development, Golding has created a work of art. He has created so many realistic characters, and everything means something more than it appears to, one just has to dig beneath the surface. In fact, through the character growth of both Jack Merridew and the beast, Golding insinuates that fear can make people do terrible things. His savagery represents how he lets his fear control him during his time on the island, and caused a lot of problems because of it.
Before the talk about the beast began, Jack was willing to be

He chooses to give up on helping Ralph and go on his own way, because he doesn’t believe Ralph’s a good leader. As he starts believing the beast is real, he begins arguing with people, letting his fear get the best of him. When he confirms in his mind that the beast is real, he leaves the group and decides to go off on his own. “‘He’s like Piggy. He says things like Piggy. He isn’t a proper chief.’ Jack clutched the conch to him. ‘He’s a coward himself’” (126). He believes Ralph is a coward, and that he shouldn’t be chief. While Ralph seems to have embraced his fear, and used it to make him stronger, Jack is letting his fear control him. He makes the decision that he needs to create his own tribe, and leaves the group, despite the fact that there’s safety in numbers. Later in the book, he stops hunting animals, and chooses to hunt Ralph instead, going completely savage. He lets his emotions get the best of him, and a lot of people payed the price for it, such as Sam and Eric. It’s hard to see Jack as anything but a beast, even though he’s just a little boy. He lets his fear get the best of him, and everything on the island falls apart. Throughout the story, as Jack becomes more fearful of the beast, he becomes a beast