What Is Jack Merridew's Lust For Power In Lord Of The Flies

Emma Lewis

Mrs. Snider

Honors English 9

27 February 2023

Jacks Merridew’s Lust for Power

Power. The thing all wish to achieve, yet only some manage to acquire. Power comes in many forms whether that be a feeling or a position, Jack Merridew from The Lord of The Flies by William Golding seems to search for them all. Golding seems to convey the image to us as the readers of the horrors that power can do to people like Jack. When the boys all crash land on the island we instantly notice their fight to climb up their socially made ranks. Overall their strive to have significant parts in the tribe and how it affects them. Jack, however, outdoes them all, his strive and thirst for power throws his morals into the sea and ultimately leads him to

We start to see his want for power right off the bat in chapter one. He comes in and thinks that he should be the chief because he is, “chapter chorister and head boy. [and he] can sing C sharp,” (Golding 22). Jack bases his assertion that he is the kids' natural leader on unjustified factors that were completely irrelevant. Jack wass granted the position of choir leader, but is unable to exercise this authority over the rest of the boys because of Piggy's important vote for Ralph. Yet this still wasn't enough for him and he finds this need for power and using the little power he was granted he attempts to get more. However sadly for him, while he does have a very strong and bold personality which makes for excellent leadership qualities, Ralph still outshined him with his charisma and willingness to establish some respectable rules for the kids and encourages them to take things a step at a time to be rescued. Furthermore, we start to see him attempt to gain more power when he begins hunting. After he actually managed to kill a pig it opened a window for him to get the boys to do what he wants. He begins to furiously command the others to eat the pig in Chapter 4 regardless of their wishes in response to his success as a hunter and their sole provider of meat. For the first time, Jack actually personally realizes his desire for more power and the ability to control

Everyone lost their humanity, became feral, developed the drive to kill, and no longer cared whether others died. They cared more about the beast and to show for it they would do rowdy rambunctious chants like, "Destroy the pig. throat-cut her. Splatter her blood," (Golding 82). Jack used this chant to both rejoice and to threaten the other boys. It was both a chant to get the others in on it and a warning for people like Ralph to back off. The true dark evil intentions of the human race were shown through this message. The guys’ chant exudes a deep sense of ferocity. Throughout the entire book, Lord of the Flies displays a significant amount of uncivilization and appalling deeping voids into the unchecked power hungry mind. The boy's entire perception of the beast develops and grows further the more they act in brutal and grotesque ways. The boys' actions are what create the beast, therefore the more viciously they behave, the more real the beast appears to be nearing the end of the book. Being stuck on the island had destroyed Jack's civilization, he had already resorted to his primitive ways. Even the other boys join Jack in dancing around the fire as they roast the pig's meat while chanting, "Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Bash her in." (Golding 79). Whenever one individual, in this case Jack Merridew, starts acting in an uncivilized manner, the others will