The Ultimate Demise Could you imagine a child being a manipulative and violent leader that caused the deaths of other children? In the novel The Lord of The Flies by William Golding, a character, Jack, portrays just that. While a group of boys are left stranded on an island and are left to fend for themselves, their initial sense of morality and order deteriorates. Jack, one of the boys, becomes the cause of the island's demise through his acts of violence and unchecked ambition. Although some may argue that the fear of the beastie caused the island's downfall due to the erratic behavior and chaos it created but ultimately, Jack was the root because he became too swallowed by the obsession of killing and hunting to remember real moral values …show more content…
This highlights how violence and cruelty leads to harm, not only to others but to oneself as well. When boys who have lost their parents, like Jack, engage in violent acts it leads to further aggression and lack of empathy towards others, like what Jack experienced. In conclusion, Jack's actions played a significant role in the demise of the island. His obsession with power and violence led him and the hunters to chaos and destruction of the …show more content…
For example, the fear of the beast created a sense of mistrust and chaos among the boys. This is shown in the article “Why Boys Become Vicious” when Golding explains, “Add to this heady cocktail the other element—fear—and you get a mixture that is more than doubly terrifying. When people are afraid, they discover the violence within them and when they are afraid together they discover that the violence within them can be almost bottomless” (Golding). Fear of this superstitious beast creates paranoia and mistrust around the boys. This causes the boys to group together and all become more frightened as they discover the violence within them. However, Jack is still responsible for the island's overall demise because of his complete disregard for the safety of the boys. “You wouldn’t care to help with the shelters, I suppose?” “We want meat—And we don’t get it.” Now the antagonism was audible. “But I shall! Next time! I’ve got to get a barb on this spear! We wounded a pig and the spear fell out. If we could only make barbs”(Golding 71). This shows how Jack is focussed on one thing at all times and one thing only: hunting. So as Ralph points out the importance of shelters to keep everyone safe at night, Jack becomes defensive and