Reactions Connected to Human Nature Essay

Submitted By ke45941
Words: 679
Pages: 3

Throughout an individual's life, there are many challenges set in front of them that they must strive to overcome. William Golding portrays how individuals respond to challenges in his novel Lord of the Flies. He gives three contrasting characters that are all affected by many challenges and obstacles. Ralph, Jack, and Piggy each show a different reaction and handle situations according to what they believe in. Ralph confronted his problems face to face and handled them with hope of rescue. Jack would use force and intimidation to overcome his problems. Finally, Piggy was one to face his obstacles with rationality and his mental power to come to a fair conclusion.Out of the three characters in the novel, Ralph was the weakest when it came to facing obstacles. Ralph had the popularity and seniority to be the leader but did not have good decision-making skills. He often took Piggy's advice for he could not always come up with his own solutions, not only for the group but personally as well. Ralph initiated many tasks for the group to do but most were not kept up. He initiated the building of the huts on the beach, the fire on the mountain, and kept control of the group for a long period of time. When the boys began to join Jacks tribe, Ralph wanted to give up, but Piggy would not allow him to. After Piggy was killed, Ralph no longer had an advisor. Scared, Ralph began to run from Jack's tribe and would not give in to Jack. The tribe endangered his life and yet he kept on going though he could face death. "He shot forward, burst the thicket, was in the open screaming, snarling, bloody." (Ch.12 Pg. 220) Ralph never gave up the entire time on the island, though somewhat weak at responding to the obstacles he still overcame all of them. Jack had a much more cruel and intimidating response towards the challenges on the island. He believed that Ralph had to many rules and was boring. He, on the other hand, wanted fun and games to fill the day. Jack had a lust for hunting. At the beginning of the novel he could not kill a pig, not because he was not physically able, because he did not have the means, he was a proper English school boy. "The pause was only long enough for them to understand what an enormity the downward stroke would be" (Ch. 1 Pg. 32) By the end of the book Ralph based his tribe on hunting and feasting. When Ralph was the last member of the other group he even hunted him down with cruel