What Does Hair Symbolize In Lord Of The Flies

In most books, authors use motifs to symbolize a larger theme. In the Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses a variety of motifs as significant symbols. This is especially evident with the boy’s physical characteristics. Golding uses the main characters’ hair to show that natural desires must be pushed aside in order to have a successful relationship.
To begin with, Jack’s quick embracement of savagery is represented through his hair which shows that he let his power lust get in the way of his friendship. The first time the reader meets him, Jack is described as having red hair, although it was covered by a cap, “Inside the floating cloak he was tall, thin, and bony; and his hair was red beneath the black cap” (20). Jack’s red hair symbolizes his evil natural desires and the cap

Secondly, to further show that Jack’s hair depicts his physical desires, Golding describes his hair many times while he is hunting stating that, “Jack crouched with his face a few inches away from this clue, then stared forward into the semi-darkness of the undergrowth. His sandy hair, considerably longer than it had been when they dropped in…”(). Hunting is Jack's way of wielding his natural desire for power. Jack feels a rush when he is hunting and it almost seems that he is addicted to it. He claims that the boys need meat, but in reality he just likes the hunting. At one point, Jack and his tribe even neglect the fire to satisfy their desire for hunting. The reader is able to realize that as Jack’s hair gets longer, he becomes increasingly power hungry. Soon, it becomes his chief characteristic, “Ralph picked out Jack easily, even at that distance, tall, red-haired, and inevitably leading the procession”(). Furthermore, Jack uses other people’s natural desires against them. For example, when the boys were playing around and pretending to hunt, Jack held Robert by his hair. This was a significant