How is Jack presented in" Lord of the Flies"?

Authors Avatar by niiayikumah (student)

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 battle between civilisation and savageness – Ralph wants to get them rescued and abide by common rules whereas Jack wants to enjoy himself on the island.

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Jack is also presented as an evil, violent character. He verbally bullies Piggy, calling him “Fatty” and telling him to “Shut up” because he wants the other boys to laugh, which give him a sense of control over them. His vicious words indicate his behaviour later in the novel. As the story progresses, Jack becomes more openly evil. He smacks Piggy in the head when he is scolded for his mistake of not keeping the fire going. This shows the complete abdication of conscience, which also implies that civilisation, is starting to be rejected. The breaking of the glasses ...

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