The Significance of Jack in Lord of the Flies

Significance of Jack in Lord of the Flies Lord of the Flies was written several years after the end of World War Two; as Golding was exposed to a plethora of atrocities on the western front, the war would have impacted his life significantly. Golding uses Jack to express his concerns about the innate, evil passion for savagery. One of the most obvious and yet significant factors about Jack is his appearance. Golding introduces him by denoting his hair as "red" and his "light blue eyes" as being "ready to turn to anger". In spite of this un-friendly introduction, the reader, to some extent, is tricked into accepting the innocence and friendliness of Jack - "Jack and Ralph smiled at each other". Perhaps Golding uses the symbolic colour of red, and the savage appearance of Jack, to lament the inevitable. The colour red is symbolic of anger and hatred; whereas anger is symbolic of an animalistic character trait. The fact Golding ingeniously combines a plethora of characteristics - both moral and immoral - in creating Jack, perhaps accentuates the innate capabilities of man-kind: although it is possible to act on our civilised character traits, we are diseased with the intrinsic capacity and desire for evil. Jack significance is not merely confined to his appearance: he stands for dictatorship, and acts as a barrier against democracy, and hence Ralph. Unlike the latter, Jack

  • Word count: 730
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Lord of the Flies- Jack vs. Ralph

Camilla Mauritzen English IB 1K Ms. Lake 22.09.08 Compare and Contrast two characters- Ralph and Jack Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a book about a plane crashing onto a deserted island with the only survivors being children, all of them boys, who were on that plane. This novel was meant to portray boys being just that, -boys. Boys doing exactly what boys would naturally do, not what boys should do in order to become perfect angels. Much of the idea behind the descent from civilization to savagery is based on Golding's real experiences during World War II. They set up a kind of society to stay together, and they hope that they will, hopefully, soon be rescued. Two of the first characters we meet in Lord of the Flies are Ralph and Jack. The two of them are natural leaders and compete with each other to gain the most power. They are both friends and enemies, as they both want the same thing but do not know how to work together to achieve what they want. Ralph is a born leader, he may sometimes be careless, and he really strives to get off the island they get marooned on. He is described as "handsome", with fair hair and an athletic build. His very name tells us alot about his personality, originating from the Anglo-Saxon language and meaning 'counsel'. Just as this implies, Ralph is calm natured, thinks clearly through things (or at least tries), and thinks

  • Word count: 1361
  • Level: International Baccalaureate
  • Subject: Languages
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Lord of The Flies - Is Jack Evil?

Lord of The Flies - Is Jack Evil? The title says it all, 'Lord of the Flies' in Hebrew is Satan. The evil, the evil within us all. As we can deduct from this tital the book with have darker elements to the narrative. This book about boys trapped on an island is named after evil incarnate. Once you start to read the book the title makes no sense, over the first few pages you notice no sinister hidden meanings and evil behaviour on any of the boys part. Yet as you turn the pages a picture is created for you, one of savage behaviour and brutal consequences. This book explores authority and mankind's urges to resort to savagery when there is lack of it. This essay will explore the question, "Is Jack evil when he arrives at the island, or does he become evil?" Jack is a major character of the book, he starts off as a traditional authoritarian figure leading his choirboys along the beach in their robes. "The creature was a party of boys, marching approximately in step in two parallel lines and dressed in strangely eccentric clothing." "The boy who controlled them was dressed in the same way though his cap was golden" From the start Jack wields power over people, we have to take this into account when you look at his behaviour later in the book, at the start he is a leader, and Ralph takes this leadership away from him, he offers him a token of

  • Word count: 1677
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Lord of the Flies -Symbolism and the Character of Jack.

‘Lord of the Flies’- Jack symbolism essay. Rachael Brogan. ‘Lord of the Flies’ is an allegorical adventure novel by William Golding. Golding wrote ‘Lord of the Flies’ to convey his pessimistic view of mankind, and to prove his opinion that man is innately evil, using techniques such as symbolism to do so. The novel is about a group of English schoolboys who have been stranded on a desert island. The story follows the events that take place during the boys’ stay on the island, and their gradual descent towards savagery. Jack, is one of the main characters in ‘Lord of the Flies’, and is one of the main reasons why the boys eventually turn to savagery. Throughout the novel, Jack is on a constant quest for power. This shows Golding’s pessimistic view of mankind, as it suggests that the majority of our society is power hungry. The boys decide their main priority is being rescued. They appoint a few boys at a time to keep the fire lit. One of the early signs of the boys losing grasp of civilisation, and giving way to savagery, is when Jack and some of his hunters are appointed to keep the fire lit, but instead leave the fire to go hunting. Whilst they are gone, a ship passes. When Ralph, sees the ship, and realises the fire is out, he goes to investigate. Jack and the hunters come back, carrying a freshly slaughtered pig. Ralph confronts them,

  • Word count: 2081
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Jack as the Leader in "Lord of the Flies".

Kaktyte Egle Instructor John Chang Introduction to Literature ENG 131 7 December 2003 Jack as the Leader William Golding in his novel "Lord of the Flies" illustrates different ideas in different characters. In his work, the writer explores delicate issues of the time and expresses high disgust in the ability of people to become very evil in extreme situations. He abhors the fact that all humans have inborn evil and that it is only circumstances that keep this evil side from showing itself. Jack, one of the main characters of the "Lord of the Flies", is an example of how a civilized human being can become a savage if put in a world without any civilization. Jack is also a marvelous example of how leadership can be gained through unconventional means in an uncivilized world. Jack was the leader of the boys from the very beginning of the story. Because he was a choir leader back at home, it was natural that he would become a leader on the island. The kids from his choir were already accustomed to the fact that he was in control. Jack also felt very comfortable being in charge and giving orders as if it was an innate characteristic. His demand for attention and obedience was satisfied from the very beginning of the story. Jack also used his ability to hunt as tool to gain power. He knew that the most important thing for children on the isolated island was food. Since he was

  • Word count: 1150
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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How is Jack presented in Lord of the Flies?

How is Jack presented in Lord of the Flies? ‘Lord of the Flies’ was written by William Golding and published in 1954. Golding’s life experiences are reflected in the book, his pessimism after the Second World War and his insight, drawn from his life as a school master, into children’s behaviour. The story is set when the adult world is at war and the children are evacuated from the war zone. He wanted to make his story more realistic than ‘The Coral Island’ where three British boys, who are shipwrecked on a tropical island, have incredible adventures and he deliberately used the same names, Ralph and Jack. Jack is a main character in the novel and is head of the choir boys, Roger and Maurice. Jack wants to be in control on the island. At the beginning he wants to be unique and superior over the other boys as he wants to be called ‘Merridew’ instead of ‘Jack’ as he says they are ‘kid’s names’, this also shows he doesn’t want to follow the rules. He is used to being a leader and in control as he is head of the choir boys and sees himself as a natural leader, he orders them around as he shouts at them to ‘Stand still!’ and they are ‘wearily obedient’. Jack is said to be the ‘most obvious leader’ and he straight away tries to take control saying ‘we’ve got to be rescued’ and tells Piggy he’s ‘talking too much’ and to ‘shut

  • Word count: 1370
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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The Change in Jack in "Lord of Flies".

“In every man’s heart there is a devil, but we do not know the man as bad until the devil is roused”. This quote from Sigmund Freud shows us that evil can at times constitute the actions and consequences reflecting mankind’s impulsive and vindictive instincts. The book ‘Lord Of The Flies’ by William Golding illustrates the idea that in a state of nature, humans can default to their inherent malicious instincts and create a chaotic and dangerous society where no order, structure and rules are apparent. With Golding’s underlying theme that human society is inherently malicious without rules, structure and order and that evil resides within, the character Jack Merridew is vividly represented by these themes in his transformation from a civilised British boy to a barbaric savage. The character Jack at first appeared to still uphold the rules, structure and order that human society had instilled in him. However, these important values he learnt slowly decay and bring into play a savage tribe that he creates, due to Ralph’s failure as a leader. He at first is not the prime leader, but slowly overthrows the ‘chief’ by manipulating the other kid’s into his dictatorial mindset. This is done through the concept of the beast. Golding symbolises that evil and savagery exist within humanity, but Jack uses the beast in his tribe as the common enemy, idol and system of

  • Word count: 737
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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How is Jack presented in" Lord of the Flies"?

How does William Golding present Jack and the choir in the first five chapters of Lord of the Flies? The description of Jack and the choir in the first chapter is highlighted by the use of the metaphor “creature” which foreshadows the savage behaviour that the choir will exhibit. Jack is described as being “ugly without silliness” with eyes “turning, or ready to turn, to anger” which implies he can be a nasty person and there is nothing comical about his ugliness, which is disturbing. He bosses his choir around: “Choir! Stand still!” but they seem to vote for him with “dreary obedience” which shows that they are not fond of him but also can’t seem to challenge him. The “offhand authority” in his voice makes him seem like a strong leader. However, Jack instructs the choir to leave Simon alone when he faints which shows he doesn’t care about the weaker members in the community and is unconcerned for the welfare of others. Golding presents Jack as an arrogant character– he claims that he “ought to be chief” because of his singing abilities. Moreover, when Jack loses the election to Ralph, his freckles “disappeared under a blush of mortification” emphasising that Jack is ashamed which damages him in a way that it sets off the rivalry between him and Ralph from the beginning of the story. Golding uses this conflict to present the on-going

  • Word count: 1019
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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What impact did Jack have in Lord of the Flies

At the start of the novel, there has been an atomic explosion, and the children have been evacuated in an aircraft with a detachable passenger tube. The aircraft has been attacked and released the tube while flying over tropical seas. The tube has crash landed in the jungle of a tropical island, and the plane has flown off in flames. This is the point when the novel starts. There are four main characters in the book - Ralph, Piggy, Jack and Simon. Simon is part of the choir, which is led by Jack, but Ralph and Piggy are not members of the choir, and are in no way related. There are no adults - "There aren't any grown ups." Ralph has found a "conch" (P.21), and has used it to call all the boys on the island together. This is where Jack is introduced into "Lord of the Flies" "Something dark was fumbling along" (P.26). This refers to the choir walking along the beach in the distance. This use of language shows us that the choir is dark, evil, and sinister, and immediately Golding tells us that this group will not be a "good" force on the island. The choir are a militaristic group - "marching approximately...with a hambone frill" (P.26). This shows us that their leader is in total control of the group. This leader is Jack - "The boy who controlled them...his cap badge was golden" (P.26) This shows the authority and status that Jack has over the choir. When the choir reach the

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Lord of the Flies

"Lord of the Flies is just a children's adventure story." Argue against this statement. It may look as if Lord of the Flies is just a children's adventure story. However, there is also a truth concealed deep inside the novel where Golding uses symbolism effectively so that readers are able to become conscious of certain issues. The issues it concerns are: society, human nature, good vs. evil, ecological balance and cooperation. Lord of the Flies reveals a multifaceted story beneath an effortless storyline. In the novel, Golding takes the time to explicate to readers that man and women are who they are because of their childhood, that if they were not brought up well they will grow to be uncivilized. Take this for example Piggy continuously talks about his auntie saying, 'my auntie-'this and 'my auntie-'that, remembering everything that his auntie told him, what was right and what was wrong and understands that,' grown-ups know things.' This shows that without care and guidance that children receive from parents, guardians, or anyone at all, children will regress back to the roots of savagery of their fellow ancestors. Nonetheless, if you look in-depth into the story there is more than meets the eye. Thus claiming that Lord of the Flies is just a children's adventure story is incorrect, the story exposes a more intricate plot. At the beginning, the boys were ordered and

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  • Word count: 1517
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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