The novel Lord of the Flies by Robert Golding is a story about a group of boys stuck on a tropical island. In chapters seven and eight, the power struggle between Jack and Ralph is becoming more prominent, eventually causing Jack to go off and form his own group. As the plot develops, the boys are becoming more and more savage. One example of this is when the boys have a mock hunt, using Robert as the pig. On page 114, Golding writes, “Kill the pig!
Civilization once within Ralph had been overcome by his hunger for food and he began to act as if he were an animal. However, savagery which never existed in Ralph had taken over and pushed
Envision this: you’re a young schoolboy on an island with other boys your age, no parents, and a beast. What could this beast possibly be though? In Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, young schoolboys have run away from their homes to fend-off rules and wind up coming in contact with a beast. This beast evolves throughout the story and appears to symbolize a multitude of things.
One way this scene contributes to the meaning of the book is by representing the gateway to savagery. In other words, this scene is the point of the book where all of the boys collectively step foot into the savage world for the first time. Prior to this event, a discussion took place that indicates the fact that some sort of civilization was still in place: “‘I’m chief. We’ve got to make certain. Can’t you see the mountain?
“Piggy and Ralph, under the threat of the sky, found themselves eager to take a place in this demented but partly secure society. They were glad to touch the brown backs of the fence that hemmed in the terror and made it governable” (152). This quote is from “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding. A group of young boys are dumped onto an island while being a part of an air attack. While waiting to be rescued, they the boys find themselves losing what civilization they had in them.
The people before us, the natives to our land were ‘savage’. The people before us wore war paint, they hunted and killed, they even had human sacrifices. They had leaders, the ones who were the chief of the tribes or clans. So what makes the young boy’s so different from our natives? In lord of the flies by William Golding there were boys who came from a very ‘domesticated’ lifestyle.
He becomes one of the prominent leadership figures and his interest in establishing a society aligns with Ralph’s, the first elected leader, but he shows a propensity for aggressive behavior by yelling that it would "serve [them] right if something did get [them], you useless lot of cry-babies!" (Golding 64). Choosing to attack the young boys for their fears plays into Jack’s fanaticism about his nearly-embraced island life. Becoming defensive about what he is doing for the group, he attacks the same people he attempts to govern. Later, the ideological differences between Jack and Ralph prove too great, and Jack sets fire to the island in his bid to kill him, “smoke...seeping through the branches in white and yellow wisps, the patch of blue sky overhead turned to the color of a storm cloud” (152).
Jack’s conflicts with humanity and himself heavily contributed to his corruption and the downfall of the society on the island. Throughout the time on the island Jack became motivated by jealousy and hatred. Ever since the very first day on the island, Jack has been jealous of Ralph. Jack’s resentment towards Ralph grew as the time on the island did.
Many would be confounded how civilized men can become savage so rapidly when put in an uncivilized restricted district. We all are fully aware that guns are the number one weapon used in murders, but many are astounded when they are informed that personal weapons such as a body part is fourth on the list. How could one commit a cold blooded murder with their bare hands? A countless number of people would deny they have enough strength within to accomplish this. What if one told you we all possess this quality.
Despite the seemingly negative impacts that his rivalry has on Ralph’s sense of self, the rivalry ultimately strengthens him by motivating his leadership and pushing him to navigate his power and
When Ralph was in charge of the group Jack was very upset and mad. He wants to have all of the power and when it is given to someone else he doesn't know how to handle it. This shows that Jack has a very tyrant
and that is what was happening to Jack he was bloodthirst to kill Ralph when they both started to challenge each other when they didn’t get along. The other side of the argument is that everyone argues and that we people don’t turn savage. But the argument that the boys were competing with each other that made the boys more savage is still true. The key point is that they are in a society where they would eventually turn savage from competing with each other people they don’t have a daily basis like us regular humans
Being under a dictatorship can demolish any kind of sanity one has. Now Ralph has realized what power and manipulation can do to one person. He never intentionally plans on becoming a savage, and unfortunately, he misses his dignity. In response, Boyd comments, “It is rather the coming of an awareness of darkness, of the evil in man’s heart that was present in the children all along” (Boyd 27). His elaboration explains how the beast was not only in Ralph but in all of the young boys.
Power can also create violence among the group of people. It can also destroy the relationship between people violently. According to Golding, chapter 11 is the chapter that relationship between Ralph and Jack are completely broken. They have the violent conflict with each other. In addition, from the quote “Jack shouted angrily ‘I said ‘grab them’!’”
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).
