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Lord of the flies characters essay
Character analysis essay lord of the flies
Character analysis in the novel lord of the flies
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What happens when somebody gets stuck on an island and is forced to survive until driven insane? It is illustrated very well in this book, The Lord of the Flies. Two characters whom play big roles in the story experience what it is like to be stranded on an island with nothing to hope for and having to survive on their own. Some steps that are taken are nothing less than complete savagery while the other one of the two tries to be the civil one with order, collaboration, and a good set of rules for all those stranded with them to live by. But once things start to fall apart it turns into every man for himself and the two sides start to get deeper and deeper into their version of survival and it’s almost like a way of life to them. In William …show more content…
Golding’s book, The Lord of the Flies, the main character, Ralph, wants to live the civilized way while a boy he meets, Jack, turns down the path of what people would call savagery. To start off, we have our main character in the story, Ralph. He describes himself as what is seen as a healthy size for the average twelve year old. He says on page 10 that he could very well turn into a boxer one day because he has good shoulder width and heaviness. And as far as twelve year olds go he has a face fit for one. His eyes and mouth are ‘mild’ making him look innocent as ever and in his own words, “that they proclaimed no devil.”(Quote Pg.10) Or in other words that his face would suggest that he were to be doing nothing wrong of any kind and if he were in a situation that there would be troublemaking he wouldn’t look like the kind of person who would be causing it. Besides his appearances he is a quick witted child who is nothing short of athletic like when he goes to hide in the thicket that had been flattened out already by a boulder that was used to actually kill one his other friends. He hides there the night before the savages go out hunting for him to kill him. In the same part of the book his athletic abilities are shown by when the savages catch him and he gets away by maneuvering through the jungle and making fast decisions on where he should run next. He is also the ‘leader’ of the group he bands together that he tries to get to work together to get off the island. He prefers the rules and it’s symbolized by a conch shell he finds which he blows into alerting all others that a meeting is being called. Whoever controls the shell is also the speaker at the time. Almost a polar opposite to Ralph is the character known as, Jack. Jack was found originally by Ralph when the conch was first found. Ralph blew into the shell drawing survivors to the beach where our character, Jack, was accepted into the group and had influence on decisions made by the group showing Ralph trusted him. But Jack was a tall and thin boy who was the leader of his choir and was the head-boy at his school. Along with that he was very bony and had bright red hair that could be seen even under his hood as he and Ralph had first met. Two bright blue eyes had shown and the author describes his face as, “crumpled and freckled, and ugly without silliness.”(Quote Pg.20) It can be guessed by this that Jack wasn’t a good character in the book as the author seems to have disliking towards him in his description. Jack is the kind of boy who wants to dominate the other males that are around him and to be the very best. He also likes to stand out from everybody else which is shown on page 21 when he prefers to be called, Merridew, rather than Jack because in his words it’s, “a kid’s name.” By this it can concluded he isn’t one who wants to be taken lightly and he sees himself as a more grown up figure than a child. But, Jack also likes to have leadership, not as Ralph would though. When he has leadership he is abusive of it and if somebody were to oppose him he would punish them to the full extent. Towards the end of the book Sam and Eric, two boys found on the island, are brought into Jack’s group of savages and are afraid to talk to Ralph because of the rivalry between Jack and Ralph. Jack is also very manipulative and sly like when he turns people from Ralph’s side into savages and can convince them to hunt down Ralph with him.(Pg.188) There wouldn’t really be much of a story if Ralph were not in it. He is, in fact, the narrator of the story. He is what makes the book go, if it weren’t for him the book would’ve probably gone through the eyes of Jack or Piggy, the first person Ralph meets on the island. But then the book wouldn’t be about unity or the struggle of survivors trying to have rule, it probably would have been every man for themselves. Ralph also adds this sense of struggle to the book. Like he himself is a symbol of struggle between having unity or chaos on the island. It is shown many times in the book that he is quite strict so that there isn’t a chance of something falling out of line or giving a chance for chaos to happen. On Page 82 Ralph states, “I have the conch,” after being told he has talked too long. What he means by this is that whoever is holding the conch at the time is the speaker and that nobody will interject until the person holding the conch is finished speaking. It’s a good example of how he is struggling in the book to keep the unity between everybody. Most of all though, I think that Ralph shows very well to the reader, that if an individual isn’t prepared for a group bound by rules to try and rebel then don’t even make the group. Luckily for Ralph, he is pretty sharp and knew what to do and when once the savages decided to hunt him down. Though Ralph is the main character of the story and if he weren’t in it there wouldn’t be much of a story, Jack plays about the same size part in the story.
Jack is the character that provides us with one of the main conflicts besides the fact they are stuck on the island. Without him Ralph wouldn’t have anybody to compete against for the right of leader in their group. On top of that, if he weren’t on the island then the story would just go on and on with Ralph talking about how the group stranded were just trying to keep alive on the island and probably some stuff on the Lord of the Flies attacking the children until they were eventually rescued. The author would have still made that pretty interesting like when Ralph encounters the pig skull on Page 185, but it wouldn’t be nearly as entertaining as reading about how everything starts to fall apart and paths diverge while still having the Lord of the Flies there. What makes Jack unique from the others who rebelled, is that he could do it on his own. He would be able to survive out in the jungle for a good amount of days, but if he were to gain the control he wanted then he would need to have others who would help him reach that power. What that does is add a main rival for Ralph in the story and can make them both get really fired up and strive to get stronger. “Jack wrenched free and swung at Ralph with his spear. By common consent they were both using their spears as sabers now.”(Page 177) Shows that they aren’t afraid to get at each other. Overall, he demonstrates the insanity side very clearly in the book with his ‘tribe’ and how they act towards the other survivors. “The liberation into savagery that the concealing paint brought.”(Page 172) Illustrates they are truly seen as the savages of the
book. In conclusion, both of these characters have unique qualities that add a lot of depth or meat to the story, like Jack’s hunt for the wild, savage side, while Ralph tries to lead the survivors in a more civilized manner. As shown, in Ralph’s mind he has the idea that in order to survive one must be prepared for almost anything. Along with that he shows the qualities needed to be a well organized individual who can also survive on their own when need be. Without him the story is nothing. Same goes for Jack, he a main conflict to the story and if he were to act different or just not have been there at all then the story would slowly get bland. In his mind, like Ralph, he sees what he is doing is right, and that the world is survival of the fittest. When both sides are analyzed it can pose a question to reader, if the reader were in the same situation as Ralph or Jack which path would be taken, the path to creation, or the path to insanity where the strongest are the most powerful?
The boys on the island in Lord of The Flies lost all hope,
The conch shell changes color do to the fact that the group is not as united throught the whole book. At the beginning the conch was bright and powerful because it lead them but as the group started to separate the conch lost its power.(page78)
The Lord of the Flies is a gruesome story about young boys stranded on an island, who underwent a transformation from polite British choir boys to savage hooligans. One of the main difficulties the boys face during their adventures upon the island, is their method of government, they either follow the path of Ralph, the democratic leader whose main focus is to escape the despairing island; or Jack a power-hungry monarchical leader who won't ever take no for an answer. The two boys are constantly bickering and arguing over who deserves the leader-position. We all understand Ralph wants to be leader so that he can ensure that the boys will return back home, but in Jack's case, it is a constant mystery to us about why he wants power over the other children. But we do get much small hints from the author, William Golding, that Jack's biggest fear among the other children on the island is public humiliation. This becomes more and more evident the farther on into the book, and his fear seems to be what persuades him to reach for a powerful position.
The Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a peculiar story about boys stranded on an island, and the plot and characters relate to many prevailing events and problems. A specific problem that is currently occurring is the mutual hatred and enmity between North Korea and South Korea. This is a current event, but the North and South’s hostility has been ongoing since 1945, when Korea was split into North and South, Communist and Capitalist. When the 38th parallel(Border between North and South Korea) was created, Kim Il-Sung ruled the North, and Syngman Rhee ruled the South. As of now, a power hungry dictator, Kim Jong-un rules the north, and an optimistic president who wants to see change was recently elected in the South, named Moon Jae-in. In Golding’s book, Ralph is a character who aimed to keep everyone alive and to stay together. Jack on the other hand, wanted to have fun and hunt, and although he also wanted to be rescued, he made no effort to help. In this sense, North Korea is a clear representation of the character Jack and his quest for power, and opposingly, South Korea is a representation of Ralph and his strive for order, democracy, and civilization.
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.
From 1947 to 1991, the United States and the Soviet Union battled without a war. This conflict, the Cold War, was also notorious for the rivalry between the two countries. In literature, these rivalries also occur but are between characters or groups. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, two clans of boys, led by dueling protagonists Ralph and Jack, have their own battle on a desert island about how to survive. However, the title, Lord of the Flies, is not a complete representation of the themes. Although a “Lord of the Flies” would bite heavily due to being noble, the conflict is not basic and the title Lord of the Flies does not convey the plot effectively. The title Tribes of Fate is a culmination of all of the aspects of the story because the title incorporates the three-sided conflict of person versus person, person versus nature, and person versus fate.
In William Golding’s novel, the Lord of the Flies, even though Ralph became chief of the stranded boys, Jack eventually rose to power through scare tactics, confidence, determination, and control. When Jack demonstrated his leadership skills, it was evident that he was superior to Ralph and would use his sense of Social Darwinism (survival of the fittest) and his oratory skills to surpass and isolate Ralph completely. Regardless of Ralph’s strengths, such as his conch, democratic maneuvers, firm motives, and kind demeanor, Jack’s mere presence ousted Ralph’s chances of taking effective leadership. By using propaganda against Ralph, gaining support from his partisan tribe members, and overpowering Ralph through his persuasive techniques and appearance, Jack clearly demonstrated how his leadership of the island was inevitable.
That’s why if I had to pick between Ralph and Jack it would be Ralph because he is a caring person. Ralph overall really tried his best to be together as a team and a family. So the point of this is to tell you that Ralphs motivation was to find help to get off the island he wanted to keep people safe so that they would all help and comfort each other. The tragedies were hard but Ralph did contribute even when he was upset he still showed effort. Oh and all the deaths Ralph was speechless he could not have prevented it even if he wanted to and we know he really wanted to.
Throughout William Golding's novel Lord of the Flies there is an ever-present conflict between two characters. Ralph's character combines common sense with a strong desire for civilized life. Jack, however, is an antagonist with savage instincts, which he cannot control. Ralph's goals to achieve a team unit with organization are destroyed by Jack's actions and words that are openly displayed to the boys. The two leaders try to convince the boys that their way of survival is correct.
This shows how he is a good person and an excellent leader because, everybody on the island knows, that Jack is the only person who has the confidence and ability to kill animals. ” ‘Listen all of you. Me and my hunters, we’re living along the beach by a flat rock. We hunt and feast and have fun. If you want to join my tribe come and see us. Perhaps I’ll let you join. Perhaps not.’ “. (140) Without Jack, they will not have food and the children know they need that, but Piggy and Ralph could not provide that for them. Therefore, they had to leave them.
In Lord of the Flies, William Golding suggests ideas about human nature such as the grasp for power, manipulation, barbarism, anarchy, and destruction which are prevalent in today’s society. As the article 2011 Libyan Civil War Fast Facts by CNN describes the event as a power struggle, mob mentality, international desire for new leadership, and displays the internal challenges of a population, traits of human nature such as these are present the struggle between Jack and Ralph which effectively made two groups and created violent divide. Articles such as this one back up the Golding’s ideas that there is evil and a violent side to the world which as those grounded in the Libyan population.
... Ralph has proven to have a much better understanding of people and their needs and this makes him a much better leader than Jack. With Ralph's understanding of the need for order and rules, he improves the condition where the boys are living in. Jack's condition was horrible. Also, Jack treated the boys very badly and like he better. Ralph, on the other hand treated the boys all equally and with respect. Ralph's priority to get off the island shows his wisdom and ability to make good decisions. Although Jack was popular on the island for the short amount of time the boys were there, he would not have been popular for much longer. He does not have any of the qualities that a good leader should have and turned himself and the rest of the boys into complete losers. Jack's plan would have soon faded but if Ralph had become leader, his wisdom would last much longer.
Lord of the Flies: Final Essay Exam. Are the defects of society traced back to the defects of human nature? The defects of society, and how it relates to the defects of human nature, can be explained with the savagery that drives the defects of society and the same savagery that drives the defects of human nature. In this story, Lord of the Flies, Golding shows the id, ego, and superego within the characters in the book. Golding represents the id with Jack, whereas the id says “I want, and I want it now,” and Jack constantly wants and needs power, and wants his way in every situation.
Ralph and Jack are both powerful and meaningful characters in William Golding's novel, Lord of the Flies. Ralph is an excellent leader; responsible, and stands for all that is good. Jack is a destructive hunter, selfish, and represents evil. These two main characters can be compared by the actions they take as leaders, their personalities, and what they symbolize in the story.
When the children become stranded on the island, the rules of society no longer apply to them. Without the supervision of their parents or of the law, the primitive nature of the boys surfaces, and their lives begin to fall apart. The downfall starts with their refusal to gather things for survival. The initial reaction of the boys is to swim, run, jump, and play. They do not wish to build shelters, gather food, or keep a signal fire going. Consequently, the boys live without luxury that could have been obtained had they maintained a society on the island. Instead, these young boys take advantage of their freedom and life as they knew it deteriorates.