What Does The Fire Symbolize In Lord Of The Flies

In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, a group of innocent boys are stranded on an island after their plane crashes in the Pacific Ocean. There are no adults on the island and soon a struggle for power begins. A tall, athletic boy named Ralph is elected chief of the boys and wants to work for a common goal, rescue. In addition, Ralph selects a former choirboy named Jack head of the hunters. His views juxtapose Ralph’s because he is eager to make rules and punish those who break them; his constant desire for power causes him to evolve into an evil person. In Golding’s Lord of the Flies, Jack betrays Ralph by forming his own tribe, which causes a major divide on the island. Instead of obeying the rules of civilization and working towards a

common goal, Jack’s actions cause tensions to rise and both he and his tribe slowly lose their innocence and transform into barbarics, thus causing their society to disintegrate.
Throughout the novel, the differences between Jack and Ralph’s characters become more evident. Jack is ecstatic regarding the fact that no adults exist on the island. When Jack first arrives on the island, he supports Ralph saying "I agree with Ralph. We've got to have rules and obey them. After all, we're not savages. We're English, and the English are the best at everything. So we've got to do the right things" (42). Eventually, Jack is not entirely committed to Ralph’s society. He is irresponsible as he does not contribute to the tribe but mainly focuses on hunting and gathering food. After Ralph is named chief, a desire for control initiates within Jack and he constantly tries to claim the position of leader. His sole focus on hunting combined with his carelessness and recklessness eventually result in the formation of his separate tribe.
The last straw between Jack and Ralph occurs when Ralph realizes that they have blown an opportunity for rescue because Jack and his hunters did not fulfill their responsibility of maintaining the signal fire.

They explain that they were too busy hunting a pig and ultimately forgot about the signal fire. The common goal of rescue is completely disregarded by Jack and his hunters as they mainly focus on hunting. When Ralph accuses Jack of not obeying their rules of society, Jack exclaims "Bollocks to the rules! We're strong - we hunt! If there's a beast, we'll hunt it down! We'll close in and beat and beat and beat-" (91). Jack’s statement begins to show the emergence of his savagery. He takes advantage of his opportunity to defy Ralph in front of the fellow boys and showcases his defiance. Eventually, Jack officially betrays Ralph by starting his own tribe. Jack says ‘I’m not going to play any longer. Not with you... I’m not going to be a part of Ralph’s lot - I’m going off by myself. He can catch his own pigs. Anyone who wants to hunt when I do can come too,’” (127). This quote shows Jack’s thirst for power and egocentric nature. He pressures the boys into joining his tribe by promising food, protection from the beast and fun. Because of his promise, all of the boys easily betray Ralph and Piggy by abandoning the tribe and joining Jack’s tribe. Gradually, Jack brainwashes all of the boys who join his tribe as they become convinced that Ralph’s customs were wrong. He has

finally obtained a solo position of power by creating his own tribe. In addition, Jack is able to strengthen his role by implementing fear into the boys regarding the beast. His strategy allows him to be perceived as a role model who protects the boys from the mysterious beast. The formation of Jack’s tribe causes a major division between all of the inhabitants on the island.
Jack’s negative influences on society and in particular the innocent boys, establishes his role as the villain in the novel.

The boys have transformed into savages, solely focused on hunting and killing. For example, when the second largest choir boy named Maurice arrives on the island, he is very innocent and affable. When he kicks over sand castles built by smaller boys, he still feels a sense of guilt “Now, though there was no parent to let fall a heavy hand, Maurice still felt the unease of wrongdoing. (60)” Over time, Jack influences Maurice and contributes to his negative transformation into an absolute savage. He disregards the idea of being rescued and focuses on survival, which is why he later helps raid Ralph’s camp. Another boy whom Jack directly and negatively affects is Roger. When he first arrives on the island, Roger is constrained from physically hurting people because of the rules and laws from their former civilized society. His restraint is showcased when he purposely throws rocks targeting a little lun named Henry “to miss”. Roger’s innate nature finally unleashes under Jack’s authority. Piggy’s death resulted from Roger’s malicious intent to kill. Without civilization's restraint, Roger is an extremely violent and malevolent person. Jack is the antagonist who ultimately causes all of the boys to rebel against Ralph. All of the innocent boys turn into savages who contribute to all of the massive chaos on the island. The formation of Jack’s tribe leads to

the innocent deaths of both Simon and Piggy. Both of these deaths result from the fear which Jack has implemented regarding the beast. Jack implants in the boys that the beast was actually Simon. Ralph now becomes an outcast who is eventually hunted like a pig. It seems as if Ralph’s original society that was based on order and civilization is completely demolished. In addition, the possibility of being rescued is severely decreased as a result of Jack’s self centered society.
As a result of Jack’s behavior, the boys’ fragile society is almost completely destroyed. Ralph has the odds stacked against him as he struggles to survive against the whole island. His goal of being rescued is irrelevant to the boys who choose to obey Jack instead. Jack’s malevolent nature is the reason Ralph’s civilization ultimately falls apart. His betrayal against Ralph and all of the boys is the main reason why the boys’ society does not progress. Instead of working towards a common goal, Jack chooses not to cooperate with Ralph and resolves for a very primitive lifestyle solely based on hunting and having fun. Jack is a negative influence on all of the boys as they would also much prefer to have fun over following Ralph’s rules. Jack breaking away from Ralph’s fragile civilization symbolizes a major division in the boys’ society. He abuses his power for self gain and subsequently transforms all of the boys into savages.