Lord Of The Flies Character Analysis Essay

Golding uses the characterization of Jack, Roger, and Ralph to show their capacity for destruction. One of the effects of war is the destruction of buildings, people, and even entire land masses. At the heart of civilization lurks a persistent sense of savageness, and once men were stripped of the veneer of adulthood, they quickly revert to being malicious boys who kill for sport (Singh); Jack undeniably represents evil and violence-the dark side of human nature in Lord of the Flies. From the moment he arrives on the island, it is evident that Jack possesses a sense of superiority, “the boy came close and peered down at Ralph, screwing up his face as he did so. What he saw of the fair-haired boy with the creamy shell on his knees did not seem

He was aware of a jolt in the earth that came to him through the soles of his feet, and the breaking sound of stones at the top of the cliff. Then the monstrous red thing bounded across the neck and he flung himself flat while the tribe shrieked. The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee, the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist. Piggy, saying nothing, with no time for even a grunt, traveled through the air sideways, turning over as he went. The rock bounded twice and was lost in the forest. Piggy fell forty feet and landed on his back across the square red rock in the sea

Although Ralph is not nearly as savage and barbaric as Jack and Roger, Golding still manages to show how Ralph is able to lose himself on the island too. Ralph is the chief of the island who represents order and civilization. Ralph sets plans to get things done and have fun doing it because he only sees their stay stranded on this island as temporary one. Ralph believes that “‘While we’re waiting we can have a good time on this island’” (34). But soon his vision of a perfect stay gets cut short. He complains that “‘When the meetings was over they’d work for five minutes, then wander off or go hunting’” (51), and by saying this to Jack he starts his first verbal fight with him. Ralph, like everyone else on the island, is just a boy. Ralph has things he wants to do on the island but cannot because being chief means you have to be the one setting the good example. “Ralph found that he was able to measure the distance coldly and take aim. With the boar only five yards away, he flung the foolish wooden stick that he carried, saw it hit the great snout and hang there for a moment…Ralph was full of fright, apprehension and pride” (113). This is the first time in the book that Ralph gets involved in anything that the hunters ever did. Ralph tapped into his primitive side and this excites him