Lord of the Flies: Compare and Contrast Ralph and Jack Essay

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Pages: 5

Lord of the Flies has many meanings to it that are represented through the characters and their feelings. When comparing the characters in the Lord of The Flies, you can see the obvious change in most of them from the beginning of the book to the end. The two main characters are Ralph, the protagonist and Jack, the antagonist. Ralph and Jack both have different qualities and beliefs that define each of them completely and at times make them both alike in many ways. They both represent what we are and what they were, Civilized and Savage.
Ralph and Jack begin the novel with similar beliefs, both wanting to implement rules. “I agree with Ralph. We’ve got to have rules and obey them.” But then the wanting of power from Jack comes to- Ralph
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In this part of the novel it explains how Jack comprehends the importance of the fire. Jack believes they should have fun and do whatever they want and that they should forget about civilization. When Jack forgets about the fire's importance of being there, he is pushing away civilization for the needs of bloodlust and savagery. This is when Jack starts to change and briniging out the influence of savagery. Jack uses his authority to produce a fascist, hostile environment where he controls the doings of his tribe. Even though Jack and Ralph are different in the novel overall, however there are parts in the book that they are linked in thoughts and actions. Both boys have the potential to act as savages but it is in their hands if they want to start using that potential. The following scene explains how Ralph and Jack are being carried by the bloodlust after they have killed the pig:
"They got his arms and legs. Ralph, carried away by a sudden thick excitement, grabber Eric's spear and jabbed at Robert with it. "Kill him! Kill him!"
"All at once, Robert was screaming and struggling with the strength of frenzy. Jack had him by the hair and was brandishing his knife. Behind him was Roger, fighting to get close. The chant rose ritually, as at the last moment of a dance or a hunt.
"Kill the pig! Cut his throat! Kill the pig! Bash him in!"
Ralph too was fighting to get near, to get a handful of that brown, vulnerable