How Does Golding Present Jack's Relationship In Lord Of The Flies

Throughout the fictional novel Lord of the Flies by Henry Golding, the main characters, Ralph and Jack, see their relationship progress throughout the story in ways that reflect the novel's overarching theme. They start off as allies, willing to work together to survive and get off the island. As the story progresses, hostility increases between the boys as Jack’s personal interests begin to interfere with being rescued and group survival. Some of the boys, enticed by glory and hunting, join Jack in the spiral into savagery and erase any original signs of civility or order. Thus, Ralph and Jack’s relationship develops throughout the novel by going from allies to adversaries, displaying their different methods of leadership and the way it

However, differences arise when Jack goes off hunting while Ralph is struggling to build shelters with Simon (Golding, 50). This is the first instance of Jack letting his personal goals get in the way of doing something for the benefit of the group, something Ralph is focused on because it ultimately leads to survival. These differences grow as Jack immerses himself in hunting completely and Ralph advocates for the importance of the signal fire. We see this explode in Ralph when a steamship passes by, but Jack and his hunters let the signal fire go out because they were too busy hunting. Ralph exclaims, “‘There was a ship. Out there. You said you’d keep the fire going and you let it out!’ … ‘You and your blood, Jack Merridew! You and your hunting! We might have gone home-’” (Golding, 70). Jack initially apologizes for this, but this will not be the last time Jack lets hunting get in the way of the group’s survival. Towards the end of the novel, Jack breaks off from the boys as a whole, taking his hunters with him. From there, they commit Piggy’s horrific murder and begin to hunt down

Psychosocial rehabilitation specialist Kendra Cherry describes the id as being “entirely unconscious and includes of the instinctive and primitive behaviors. …. The id is driven by the pleasure principle, which strives for immediate gratification of all desires, wants, and needs. If these needs are not satisfied immediately, the result is a state anxiety or tension” (Cherry). Jack exhibits this in his drive for hunting, always putting it over whatever benefits the group. As the story continues, Jack’s impulses only get stronger, to the point where he witnesses Piggy’s death and says, “‘See? That’s what you’ll get! I meant that! There isn’t a tribe for you anymore!’” (Golding, 181). He feels no remorse or doesn’t stop to consider his actions, only acting out of impulse and satisfying his drive for savagery, which has only grown stronger from the beginning of the