In the novel Lord of the Flies, it is obvious that the character Jack is the savage compared to all the other boys on the island. Jack is the cause of all the arguments and death that will later occur on the island. Many of the boys on the island are scared of Jack when he acts cruel and selfish. This makes them join his group, so they don't have to worry about getting hurt. During a group meeting Jack says “We shall take fire from the others,” (Golding 161).
Jack is challenging the authority of the conch
Jack may not want to follow the rules but still respects the conch. Similar to crowns, the conch shell is just another object that represents authority. The conch shell would not be powerful if people did not follow the rules. Its the meaning of the conch shell is what matters to Jack. Comparatively to Jack, the other boys did now follow all the rules but they never questioned them.
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.
’Jack’s face swam near him… ‘Piggy’s got the conch… The rules!’ shouted Ralph. ‘You’re breaking the rules!’ ‘Who cares?’ Ralph summoned his wits.
7. “You're a beast and a swine and a bloody, bloody thief!” (11.187) This passage signifies the corrupted mind of a man. When Jack becomes the leader of his own tribe, he takes control and uses the power of the boys to get rid of all obstacles.
How does Golding present Jack throughout the novel? In William Golding's "Lord of the Flies," Jack Merridew's character is presented as a complex embodiment of savagery and the innate human desire for power. Golding uses Jack's transformation from a disciplined choirboy to a ruthless leader to explore themes of civilization, power, and human nature. Through Jack, Golding illustrates the fragile veneer of societal norms and the ease with which they can be discarded.
Following rule and order signifies honesty and strong moral principle. Forcing rules upon others in order to gain power demonstrates hypocrisy and poor moral principles. In Jack’s mind, the rules apply to everybody but himself. Jack usually interrupts Piggy, even when Piggy has the conch. This is a small, yet significant action executed by Jack.
Furthermore, he made these rules to keep the boys civilized on the island. The conch represents the power of speech, the ability to speak without being interrupted, meaning that the boys had to listen to each other even though they disagreed. He clearly had authority over the boys since they listened to the orders that he gave; they showed a sense of civility by listening to him. (chapter 2 page 31). “We can help them find us.
Jack’s innate viciousness overpowered his sense of civilization a little after he arrived at the island. "We'll have rules” he cried
"(Lord of the Flies 230) Jack had inherited all the wretchedness of the adult world and he displayed them freely. When he found that he could act at will, without being challenged nor cautioned by a grown-up hand he unashamedly turned himself and his choir boys into savages and openly indulged in hunting and murdering, not only animals, but even fellow human beings. He thirsted for blood and lusted all the while for power and position.
We’ve got to have rules and obey them. After all, we’re not savages. We’re English, and the English are best at everything” (Golding 53). At first, Jack seems to be a very civilized child with no intention of harming anyone or causing havoc because he is still sticking to his morals and rules from back at home. The irony of this statement is what happens to Jack later in the novel after being on the island for longer as he starts to lose sight of his old self.
Jack proposes that he forms his own tribe.. Within this rebel tribe he suggests that they act only as savages. The temptation to hunt won many of the boys over in favor of orderly society as suggested by Ralph. The two groups of boys reach the culmination of the conflict when logic battles savagery; “ ‘Which is
(Golding 75) This shows how when the boys were hungry and in desperate need of food, they were tempted by evil and turned away from good, as their inner savagery was shown. Additionally, toward the end of the novel, Golding writes, “He could see a striped savage moving hastily out of the green tangle, and coming toward the mat where he hid, a savage who carried a spear..." (Golding 198) This quote highlights when Ralph, the last hope of civilization and order, was hunted down by Jack’s savages.
When Jack finally voices his abhor for the rules, he starts a downward slope for the rest of the boys to follow. “'Bollocks to the rules! … and beat and beat—!'” (Golding 91). Jack's disregard for the rules here foreshadows him abandoning Ralph's rules altogether and forming his own tribe. When Jack's new tribe finally establishes itself, he abandons many of the morals Ralph had.
