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Essay On Jack Merridew

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In the fictional novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, stranded boys have many compelling characteristics. Personalities vary from timid to courageous, peaceful to aggressive, or accepting to prejudicing. Although many children have complex qualities, the most interesting character is Jack Merridew. Jack Merridew is the most riveting character because of his bloodthirsty nature. Wishing to kill a pig, Jack refused to let anything stand between him and a feast of meat. Only asking the abandoned boys to keep a fire burning, Ralph, the chief, hoped to send a smoke signal for a rescue. Taking all of the boys hunting except for Ralph and Piggy, an obese and discriminated child, Jack kills a pig; however, Jack brought everyone on a hunt instead …show more content…

After calling a meeting, Ralph begins to list the changes that need to take place on the island. While the chief creates new rules, Jack grows angry and starts to question Ralph's authority; this leads to an argument over power. Disrespectfully, Jack Merridew calls out Ralph’s flaws, carelessly shouting for him to “‘shut up! Who [was he], anyway? Sitting there telling people what to do. [Ralph] can’t hunt, you can’t sing…Just [gives] orders that don’t make any sense ’” (Golding 91). Some may argue that Simon is the most compelling character. Different from the other boys, Simon experiences prejudice because of epilepsy; however, he shows bravery when he goes with Ralph and Jack to search for the beast. However, Simon lacks the aggressiveness to seize power over authority and society. On the contrary, Jack displays rebelliousness against Ralph, signaling his thirst for power. Uniquely craving power, Jack is the only boy defying Ralph’s orders, amplifying his lack of respect; this underscores Merridew’s deficiency and difference from his peers. Refuting Ralph’s rules, only Jack doubts Ralph; the defiant boy contrasts the others because of their unwillingness to resist authority. From his boldness and lack of respect, Merridew exposes defiance, hindering and questioning Ralph’s rule; this establishes Jack’s rebelliousness against authority, amplifying his lack of

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636 Words | 3 Pages

This is shown through his kindness to the boys, his encounter at his own personal, mysterious area, his peace and vision, and his saintly Christ-like characterization. When Ralph first encounters Simon, it is when he faints while under Jack Merridew’s authority. Ralph describes Simon’s eyes “so bright they had deceived Ralph into thinking him delightfully gay and wicked.” (Golding 67).

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405 Words | 2 Pages

In the closing chapters of the novel Lord of the Flies, the character of Jack Merridew becomes the chief of the majority of the boys on the island. During this time, there are multiple ways in which he maintains his power and authority, the first of which is the promise of succulent, delicious meat. Jack is a hunter. He prefers hunting above all else, even being rescued. He uses his hunting skills to catch pigs and acquire precious meat, a rare commodity on the island, which he can use as an incentive to join his tribe or not to leave it.

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472 Words | 2 Pages

At this point in the story all the boys look as Jack as their leader but Ralph takes full blame for their savagery actings. Ralph bravely takes the blame for their actions showing his leadership role as taking the blame for their failures and

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1146 Words | 5 Pages

Lord of the Flies Character Case Study Jack Merridew is a 13 year old male who experienced a traumatic plane crash, resulting in being marooned on an island for perhaps 2 months with a group of his peers similar in age. He is a former choirmaster and head boy in his school, and hereby therefore he has experience in leadership and control. His current physical health status is concluded as decent, considering the circumstances. Merridew's hobbies on the island included hunting and killing pigs, and singing/chanting. While marooned, Jack let the possibility of being rescued slip his mind, and instead focused his goals on surviving, hunting, and doing whatever they wanted.

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204 Words | 1 Pages

Although sharing the same self-serving intent, Jack Merridew acts in his own, distinct way. Though he has not gone completely without opposition on the island, a clearer divide between his tribe and Ralph's remaining followers starts to form. In order to seize total control, he decides to make an example out of Piggy. Like Assef, he uses fear to control the people. However, unlike Assef, Jack rationalizes the murder as simply a way to show off his power.

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723 Words | 3 Pages

When Ralph and Jack first get to know each other their relationship appears to be strong and they believe they can run the island by themselves. However as the story progresses readers see that Jack wants more power over the people on the island causing conflict between him and Ralph. When Jack finally has enough of Ralph being chief he calls for a meeting and asks ‘‘Who thinks Ralph oughtn’t to be chief?” (Golding, 127) and also makes Ralph look bad by say negative things about him. This shows that Jack betrays Ralph and states false things about him to embarrass him in public.

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642 Words | 3 Pages

Jack is a naive head choir boy before he arrives at the island; by being stranded, Jack begins to adapt to the new environment and takes on characteristics of an animal. After Ralph tells Jack everyone's names and asks what his name is, Jack states, “Kids’ names, why should I be Jack? I’m Merridew” (Golding 21). In other

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1159 Words | 5 Pages

Imagine being stuck in an island with no adult supervision, only 15 kids trying to figure out how to be rescued. In the novel, Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, the plane that the boys were riding got shot down and crash landed into a deserted island. On the deserted island we meet our first character, Ralph, physically well built, handsome, and a natural leader. Then we meet Piggy, fat, intelligent, stereotypical nerd, and an outcast amongst the boys. Next we meet Jack Merridew, “...he was thin and bony; and his hair was red beneath the black cap.

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843 Words | 4 Pages

Throughout the novel, Jack consistently demonstrates a disregard for rules and a desire for dominance and power. When he leads the boys in hunting and violence, he taps into their savage and primal instincts - including Ralph’s. As Jack proclaims, "The conch doesn't count at this end of the island" (Golding, 150) it becomes evident that he prioritizes dominance and power over order, authority, and the established rules on the island. In the midst of their destructive rivalry, Jack’s failures teach Ralph important lessons. Witnessing Jack’s inability to maintain the signal fire makes Ralph recognize the value of collaboration, communication, and planning for survival.

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818 Words | 4 Pages

Jack lost his sanity and civility and this changed him in more ways than imaginable. Jack was a natural leader when the boys first came onto the island, but as time continued he became a horrible dictator. On the first day on the island, Ralph and Jack competed for chief of the island. Ralph won. Jack was unhappy with this result, but it didn’t yet throw him into a spiral of craze and anger.

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1218 Words | 5 Pages

Jack Merridew, inclined to leadership, decides to go against his orders of keeping up a signal fire built using the glasses of a fat boy derisively named Piggy. This causes a ship to pass by oblivious to the boys captive on the island. As more conflicts arise between Jack (savagery) and Ralph (civilization), Jack establishes his own “tribe”, using the boy's fear of the beast to his advantage, leading to tumult and the death of a wise, good-natured boy named Simon. Eventually, Roger, a malicious human-being involved in numerous nefarious activities, kills Piggy and trucently torture the twins, Sam and Eric, into joining Jack’s tribe, leaving Ralph all alone. When Jack lights the whole island on fire in an attempt to kill Ralph, the smoke from the fire ironically leads

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874 Words | 4 Pages

With tireless work needed to maintain survival and palpable rescue, many boys turn away from Ralph, who continues to push them to build shelters, follow the rules and now especially keep the fire going. With this continual pressure, Jack realizes the annoyance Ralph has caused and uses this to his

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762 Words | 4 Pages

In the beginning, Ralph tries to establish order by letting the boys vote on rules and on him being chief. As chief, Ralph constantly micromanages the group of boys in order to sustain his power. When things don’t exactly go his way he tries to belittle the boys by reminding them that “[He is] chief..” and of the fact that they voted for him(23). Also, when the littluns (younger boys) start the rumor of a possible terrifying creature, Ralph gets angered and tries to prove his dominance by asserting that “‘..there isn’t a beast!’”(37). These insignificant squabbles lead to Ralph creating strict rules that Jack in particular doesn’t agree with.

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1091 Words | 5 Pages

Ralph creates a civil system of government that is organized and based on laws. However, Jack displays power by defying the existing democracy on the island. His leadership is more careless than Ralph’s, but with greater, inhumane consequences. The boys of Jack’s tribe follow him out of fear - another major source of problems on the island. At first, the island is thought to be a splendid paradise, but as the boys stay on the island, their fear increases.

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667 Words | 3 Pages

In a pursuit to tell the others, he is mistaken as the beast by the tribe and is beaten by bare hands and teeth to death. Piggy is the only character that does not take part in this event. Later on, only three boys are present in Ralph’s camp, including Piggy. Jack’s hunting tribe steals Piggy’s glasses in order to start cooking fires, which leaves Ralph unable to keep

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