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Piggy And Jack In Lord Of The Flies Essay

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Neurologist Sigmund Freud claimed that humans have three parts to their personality: Id, Ego and Superego. The human mind is very complex, which is why these three components must work together to achieve harmony and contribute to a person’s overall behavior. William Golding’s Lord of The Flies includes characters that represent each of these parts. Jack’s behavior is most consistent with id, judging by his tempestuous presence. Since first being introduced in Lord of the Flies, Jack has proven himself to be a very chaotic and impulsive character, constantly clashing ideas with the people around him. Ralph and Piggy tend to emphasize getting rescued, whereas Jack has an overwhelming desire to hunt and behave like a complete animal. The id …show more content…

The id seeks self gratification and at times will do anything to achieve that, despite conflicting opinions from different people. “Why should choosing make any difference? Just giving orders that don't make any sense—” (Golding 91) is said by Jack during a heated conversation with Ralph, who previously claimed that he was leader because he was chosen. Ralph seems to be favored by most of the other people on the island and Jack is opposed to him being leader simply because he disagrees with Ralph’s decisions. Jack isn’t taking into account the fact that Ralph is a rational leader and simply thinks of himself, which is selfish and arrogant. Jack, much like the id, strives to take control and overpower those around him, taking any means necessary to achieve what he wants. “Ralph made a step forward and Jack smacked Piggy’s head.” (Golding 71). Jack’s violent encounter with Piggy was unnecessary and cruel, only proving that he is an impulsive and violent character who craves to be in control, getting upset when something doesn’t go his way. Ralph maintains that Jack is powerful and intimidating, frequently neglecting the rules in order to satisfy his own

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When it came time to choose a Chief for the island, Jack believed there was no competition for leader of the tribe. Ralph believed in rules, his overall goal was to have the boys create a society similar to the one they had known before they crashed onto the island. He was constantly trying to get the boys to build shelter, gather food, and perform other jobs necessary for their survival. Every day Ralph was commanding the boys to keep the fire going. In Ralphs eyes this was the only way they were going to be rescued.

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He sees himself as Ralph’s equal and is angered when Piggy a boy that, in Jack’s point of view, is useless. For example, there are many instances where he shows his distaste for Piggy and jealousy in his situation. “[to Piggy] Who cares what you believe- Fatty!” (81), “[to Piggy] You shut up, you fat slug!”(82), and showing his jealousy, “[to Ralph]

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David Schwer McCallon-5 ERWC 4 October 2014 Activity #1 Lord of the Flies, written by, William Golding, is a story about a group of schoolboys struggling for survival after a plane crash has left them stranded on an island. As the struggling continues, tempers flare and the group splits on each other. One side has a boy named Jack as their leader, who’s

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Jack’s unwillingness to abide by Ralph’s rules creates chaos and strips morality from the group. This leads to death and a dark realization that war can only result in mutual loss. Jack resents Ralph’s power and the rules while also disregarding what is asked of him, creating tension between themselves. Jack constantly tries to turn the others against Ralph and undermine his opinion. When Jack does not do what is asked of him, it sparks conflict as shown in this quote:

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[Ralph] is like Piggy. He says things like Piggy. He isn’t a proper chief”[ Golding, 138]. By saying this, Jack is showing the other boys that to survive you need to hunt and be strong, not use your brain. This paints a negative image in the little boys and about Ralph and Piggy, resulting in Jack looking like the best.

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The Lord Of The Flies by William Golding is a book about a plane full of boys crashing on an island. The boys are by themselves no adults so they have to survive on their own and establish their own government. Piggy is one of the first characters we meet as a boy with poor eyesight, a weight problem and asthma so the readers already like him even if no one else likes him. Piggy is the closest thing the boys have to an adult on the island. Throughout the story Piggy embraces the character traits of being intellectually intelligent, Mature and loyal.

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Piggy is fat, brilliant, lacking in social graces, and wears glasses, in other words the outsider on this island. Due to Piggy being such an foreigner, Jack feels that he is above Piggy, and feels better when he causes Piggy pain and sorrow. For example, “‘You’re talking too much,’ said Jack Merridew. ‘Shut up Fatty,’” (21). In this scene you can see power in Piggy’s lack thereof.

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Author, William Golding, in his novel, "Lord of the Flies," follows a group of British boys who are stranded on an uninhabited island and try to govern themselves. One of the boys, Piggy, is constantly bullied and considered a nuisance by the power-hungry boys on the island. Golding's use of an isolated setting in the midst of the other boys illustrates Piggy's struggle to liberate himself from their oppression. However the need to survive reveals Piggy's inventiveness and rational mindset.

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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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Jack has changed greatly, over the course of William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies. Crashing onto an island without adults and having to survive put a strain on all of the boys, but Jack’s personality altered the most due to this experience. He went from living as an ambitious choir boy, to being a vicious, brutal, beast. Many things changed Jack on the island, but most of all, he created the monster he became.

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FREUD’S PERSONALITY THEORY IN LORD OF THE FLIES Sigmund Freud had once said, “The poor ego has a still harder time of it; it has to serve three harsh masters, and it has to do its best to reconcile the claims and demands of all three... The three tyrants are the external world, the superego and the id” (Freud, psychology.about.com) The idea in this quote which is recognized again and again in many movies and books, reminds of the Freud’s Personality Theory which can be seen in “Lord of the Flies”, too. Freud’s Personality theory consists of three main concepts: ego, superego and id. William Golding, the author of “Lord of the Flies”, uses those three concepts as a base when he creates the characters and the places in the book. Freud’s Personality Theory is based on the human mind and it

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Ralph’s realization of power shift, loss of innocence, and whom he considers a friend changed. He learned the effects of jealousy and fear that lead to murder and betrayal. Most of the boys betrayed him and joined Jack, teaching Ralph the lesson of who his friends are. He learned Piggy may look different, but in the end, he had the most loyalty and reason. Jack’s envy of Ralph led to his outburst his disrespect for the boys’ right of speech and the animals’ right to live.

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In Lord of the Flies, William Golding shows the progression of absolute power, and how ambition can take over one's mind. Stranded on an island after their plane crashed, the boys create their own democracy with one absolute ruler, just like many other governments throughout history. The boys voted Ralph as their ruler, but Jack slowly starts to take some of Ralph’s power, and eventually usurps him as their chief. Lord of the Flies suggests that absolute power is corrupt, and that humans are overly ambitious in wanting to take power from the person who has the most of it. Just like any large group of people, the boys decide that they “ought to have a chief to decide things” (Golding 22).

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Throughout the book we witness the power struggle between Jack and Ralph, we watch as Jack undermines Ralph's authority and gains control of the boys on the island. Jack's leadership is powerful, he understands how to coerce others into following him and is exceptional at controlling his crowd. Take for example him leading the crowd of hunters, “Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Spill her blood” (Golding 56).

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Jack uses the boy’s animalistic need to kill, and shapes it into a fear driven mob. Eventually Jack’s leadership eventually achieves what Ralph and Piggy had attempted to do since the start of the book. Get Rescued. “We saw your smoke. What have you been doing?

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