The Lord of Flies 5
HowJack in Lord of the flies is affected by self-expression
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HowJack in Lord of the flies is affected by self-expression
Lordof the Fliesis a novel that depicts the life of young boys who survived a planecrash on uninhabited Island while being flown from England due to thefierce war. The boys are disintegrated from the society and have toseek for survival means and gradually start dividing themselves intogroups that become more and more aggressive as the days go by.Initially, Ralph maintains order but Jack and his friendsdisintegrate and form another group. The boys become more and moreviolent towards each other as the groups try out different survivalstrategies through leadership styles. Golding depicts Jack as acivilized boy whose thirst for power compels him behave violently andfinds thrills in killing because he has lost his sense of moralityand does not use logic when making decisions.
TheLord of Fliesby William Golding depicts the lives of young boys, who survived aplane crash and were stranded on an Island as they wait for rescue.The first section gives an impression of adventure, as the boys aredesolate on the Island without authority. The boys play in the waterand easily find fresh food to eat. However, as the story progresses,the Island becomes a difficult place to live due to the powerstruggles between Ralph and Jack. The members of the choir supportJack’s leadership style where he gives orders and they obey. Thestruggles for supremacy and leadership result in evil actions andviolence between the two groups. Jack forms his group and as thechief, it is his task to ensure that his followers eat (1 p28). Theauthor introduces the reader to Jacks first evil act where he plansto steal Piggy’s glasses and use them to light a fire. Jack isaware that no one can punish him for pilfering the glasses and as thechief he is the final authority and the rule maker (1 p55).Theauthor depicts Jack as ruthless and forceful as he is ready to dowhatever it takes to survive and achieve his goals.
Goldingpresents Jack as a civilized boy with the ability to “Sing C sharp”(1 p28),but also has uncontrollable savagery. Jack representsviolence and evil where his past leadership as a choir leader and aschool head boy influences him to dominate over the others. Histhirst for power compels him to exhibit excessive authoritarianismand ruthlessness to animals and those who do not support hisleadership. The author depicts the evil in societies where thecivilized boys become savages by finding pleasure in killing. Theboys began by singing and chanting, and then they killed animalsbefore turning against each other because they had lost their moralvalues and respect for humanity. The carnage of Jack intensifies whenhe treats other boys cruelly and goes to the extended of killing themwithout remorse. At first, he pretends to be interested inestablishing order in the Island if allowed to punish the lawoffenders yet he breaks laws when pursuing his interests.
Jack’scharacter transforms into dominance when the boys panic aftersighting a beast in the mountains (1 p48).He uses rhetoric to alterRalph’s words to have the boys impeach him so that he can havetotal control over the two groups. Jack cunningly tells the boys“He`d never have got us meat” (1 p182), to imply that Ralph isnot an effective leader because he does not have excellent huntingskills. Jack rejects Ralph’s orders and instead he creates analternative anarchy leadership system where he serves his personalinterests. He further asserts his authority when he assigns his mostloyal followers to various hierarchical posts while looking down uponthose who do not agree on his leadership. Jack appoints himself aschief and manifests his power through the boys who raise spears toproclaim, “The Chief has spoken” (1 p202). Golding states thatJack enjoyed the leadership power “Before the party had started agreat log had been dragged into the center of the lawn and Jack,painted and garlanded, sat there like an idol” (1 p213). Jack isunable to control his dominance over the other boys and does notunderstand that power is a tool used in maintaining order.
Goldinghighlights that Jack had turned into a savage “hebegan to dance, and his laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling” (1p89). He enjoyed killing animals and later his opponents because hehas lost his sense of morality. Moreover, he behaved in a manner thatsuggested that he did not use logic when making decisions. “It`sthem that haven`t no common sense that make trouble on this island”(1 p190). Jack does not use common sense or logical thinking whenmaking crucial decisions. He becomes paranoid and feeds the groupwith false information to retain control over them. When the boysare finally rescued, Jacks irresponsible authority catches up withhim when the naval officer recognizes Ralph as the group leader.
Inconclusion, TheLord of Fliesby William Golding depicts the life of young boys who survive a planecrash and are forced to seek refuge in uninhabited island. Althoughthe encounter starts as an adventure, it soon becomes a nightmare tothe boys as Jack imposes his ruthlessness to those who do not supporthis leadership. Goldmine depicts Jack as a savage who finds pleasurein killing and torturing animals and his fellow boys alike. He takesup the title of a chief and commands for respect and punishes thosewho do not obey the law. He uses the anarchical system to serve hisinterests as his leadership and actions lack moral values and logic.
Reference
1.Golding W. Lord of the Flies [Internet]. weebly.com. Global VillageContemporary Classic [cited 2017Jan10]. Available from:http://colleronline.weebly.com/uploads/2/8/2/0/2820270/lotf_text.pdf
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