How Does Golding Present Jack In Lord Of The Flies

How does Golding powerfully present Jack as a character in Lord of the Flies?

The novel "Lord of the Flies", written by William Golding is set in the 1950s, where a group of young boys are stranded on a deserted island with no adults. They initially develop their own system of law and order but as the novel progresses their nature descends into their innate human character of savagery and violence without the need for civility. Golding presents the exploration of human nature through a power struggle between two opposing characters; Jack as the antagonistic, alpha male who believes in totalitarianism and Ralph, who believes in democracy and civilisation. Through Jack, Golding forces the readers to recognise him as the dark side of human nature.

Golding presents Jack as an authoritative and dominant leader. This can be seen in Chapter 1, where Jack says, "I ought to be chief... because I’m chapter chorister and head boy." In this instance, ‘ought’ shows Jack’s self-belief and determination to assume the position of leadership, which identifies Jack as an assertive and self-confident character enabling him to effortlessly dominate a group, as he does in later chapters where he is head of the ‘hunters’. Jack is perceived as an authority figure and his requests are seen as demands. This is seen in Chapter 1, Golding writes, “he shouted an order and they halted”. The term “order” determines Jack as an autocrat who undoubtedly leads the boys with absolute control. One of Jack’s first interactions with the group may be seen as harsh which is shown when Jack says to Piggy, "You’re talking too much. Shut up, Fatty". This may be interpreted by the reader to mean that Jack is arrogant and blatantly rude as his tone is cruel. Jack publicly mocks Piggy whilst simultaneously signalling to the other boys that Piggy does not deserve respect. Through this, Golding foreshadows the cruelty that Jack will use throughout the novel to force the boys to obey

Golding presents Jack as an antagonistic character to draw attention to Ralph’s attributes, such as his civilised nature, charismatic personality and belief in democracy. Despite their conflicts, in Chapter 9, Ralph and Piggy "found themselves eager to take a place in this demented but partly secure society". The phrase ‘partly secure’ suggests that, however barbaric they may seem, Jack’s tribe offers a sense of safety and belonging for the group of boys. The fact that Ralph considers Jack’s tribe signifies that Ralph’s values, although more democratic, are not accepted. In the later chapters of the novel, the rivalry between Jack and Ralph has become evident, and their leadership styles clash. Ralph is a firm believer in democracy and equality. In Chapter 11, Ralph says to Jack, "Which is better, law and rescue, or hunting and breaking things up?" In this statement, Golding represents Ralph as 'law and rescue' and Jack as ‘hunting and breaking things up’, which suggests that Golding may want us to see that Ralph is the sole solution to the boys' staying civilised and Jack is the reason they are condemned to savagery. Ralph pleads for civility and sanity as the boys no longer care about equality and peace. Jack dismisses this arrogantly as his need for power takes over his rationality. The death of Piggy and the conch symbolises an end to order as the