Jack Lord Of The Flies Analysis

Words: 1138
Pages: 5

In the novel Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding, there are many shocking changes and events that happen throughout the novel. This novel is a story about a group of British schoolboys whose country is at war. The boys are being sent out of harm's way when their plane is shot down onto an island and they are left to fend for themselves. The older boys must take care of the younger boys. Jack, one of the main characters, is different from all the others because all he wants to do is hunt. Jack is introduced as a tall, ugly boy who leads his choir group. Jack is the leader of the choir boys, so he immediately tries to take charge on the island which turns out to be bad in the end when he loses the election for chief. Jack becomes less …show more content…
He is introduced by the author as “tall, thin, and bony; and his hair was red beneath the black cap. His face was crumpled and freckled, and ugly without silliness. Out of this face stared two light blue eyes, frustrated now, and turning, or ready to turn, to anger”(13). Golding explains what jack is wearing, which is a black cloak. He also says “the boy who controlled them was dressed in the same way though his cap badge was golden”(13). Jack is in a uniform, symbolizing that at the beginning of this novel, Jack and the choir boys are civilized and dressed like they were back home. Jack agrees with Ralph that making a signal fire, building shelters and getting food are all important. Jack, Ralph, and Simon spot a pig while they are exploring. Jack brings his knife, and right when he gets close enough to kill the pig, he just freezes. The boys “knew very well why he hadn’t: because of the enormity of the knife descending and cutting into living flesh; because of the unbearable blood.” “I was going to,” said Jack. He was ahead of them, and they could not see his face. “I was choosing a place. Next time”(23)! This example suggests that Jack doesn't like to kill, and that he hates the sight of blood which demonstrates that in the beginning of the novel he is still civilized and not …show more content…
Jack starts to think that instead of keeping the signal fire up, all the boys need to do is hunt. The signal fire is connected to civilization because when the fire is burning it shows that they still want to be rescued and return to civilization. Jack's group of choir boys are in charge of watching the signal fire and not letting it die out. Jack decides that he and the choir boys need to abandon the fire to hunt instead. Piggy explains “You didn’t ought to have let that fire out. You said you’d keep the smoke going”(60). At this point in the novel, Jack has let the signal fire go out in order to kill the pig. This is the first time the reader sees that Jack is losing his civilized ways and becoming more barbaric. Another example of how Jack starts to lose his civilized ways and becomes more savage is when Jack and his hunters run around on the beach chanting. This signifies that Jack is losing his civilized ways because in a truly “civilized” society, such primitive behavior would not likely not be acceptable. As one can tell, Jack’s experiences on this island are having a effect on him. The author exclaims “The dancing, chanting boys had worked themselves away till their sound was nothing but a wordless rhythm”(80). This quote demonstrates that Jack is becoming more savage-like and less civilized as he spends time on the island. The purpose of the