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Jack Lord Of The Flies Essay

1318 Words6 Pages

In the sci-fi novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, a group of British boys are stranded on a deserted island in the wake of World War 3. These boys, ages six to twelve, attempt to preserve order and civilization, but that quickly fails, and chaos ensues. Two of the main characters are Ralph and Jack, 12 year old boys who fight for leadership over the island. Throughout the novel, although both boys are affected by their almost identical backgrounds, their actions and response differs greatly. Firstly, Jack is greatly affected by his cultural and physical surroundings while living on the island. On one of the first pages of the book, it is established that Jack is the leader of a choir. These boys fully obey Jack’s orders, not even …show more content…

Killing animals is one of the most primal instincts, stemming from the desire to hunt for food. However, though throughout the novel Jack claims this desire to be his reasoning, Jack really wants to kill a pig to demonstrate his leadership and dominance. This fact is clear from the first time the hunters go out to hunt, and Jack, in the moment being faced with the pig, fails to stab it. “" Why didn't you―?" They knew very well why he hadn't: because of the enormity of the knife descending and cutting into living flesh; because of the unbearable blood. "I was going to," said Jack. He was ahead of them, and they could not see his face. "I was choosing a place. Next time―!" He snatched his knife out of the sheath and slammed it into a tree trunk. Next time there would be no mercy. He looked round fiercely, daring them to contradict.” (pg 31) From this passage, we see how sensitive Jack is to others perceiving him as weak, as the second another boy mentioned his failing, Jack has a very visceral and tense reaction. Jack wants to kill the pig not simply just for meat, but to convey to the others that he is the ‘breadwinner’ and a true leader, who is capable of sustaining his people. To Jack, killing pigs attests to his power, and this obsession further exposes Jack’s power hungry

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Jack did not succeed in hunting down the pig but said that he will kill it next time. Jack did not kill the pig because he was afraid of the blood from the pig. He was embarrassed that he could not do it and he wanted to show people that he is a hunter and he is strong enough to do it. In the novel it says, "Kill the pig! Cut her throat!

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1. Jack is unable to kill the pig because he is still bound by the concept of civilization and common morals, so he has not yet moved to the “dark side” yet. Also, he knows that if he kills the pig he will be crossing a line and knows he will not be able to turn back. This signifies how Jack I incapable of violence. Jack states how he is waiting for just the right time to kill the pig, but that is a lie and is scared to do it, it states, “They knew very well why he hadn’t: because of the enormity of the knife descending and cutting into living flesh; because of the unbearable blood” (Golding 33).

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