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Identity In Lord Of The Flies

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The journey of protagonists identity:
During this semester several pieces of literature were studied in which the authors illustrated the vast journey of developing an identity of the protagonists through several characters, and using devices like symbolism, vivid imagery, and descriptive details.
Golding’s insight into Ralph’s character in Lord of the Flies represents the conflict between savagery and the rules of civilization. Ralph’s identity in Lord of the Flies develops from a twelve years old kid into a matured young adult. At the start of the novel, Ralph was taking responsibility and trying to bring order in the tribe. The first step toward civilization was when the boys chanted, “Let 's have a vote.” “Yes!” “Vote for chief!” (Golding, …show more content…

William Golding’s exploration into the diverse nature of mankind is skillfully displayed through the character of Jack who can also be seen as another protagonist for Lord of the Flies. Golding’s development of Jack’s character addresses the identity of savagery that Jack develops throughout Lord of the Flies. Jack’s identity change starts when “Jack planned his face. He made one cheek and one eye-socket white, then he rubbed red over the other half of the face… ear to left jaw.” (Golding, 63). Jack’s personal identity transitions from a kid to a savage creature created by the hostile environment of the island. Face painting is the symbol of savagery for which Jack’s face painting shows the ruthless nature of Jack’s personality. Secondly, when Jack moves away from the tribe, Jack gives into his savage characteristics. In this scenario, Jack becomes obsessed with power and becomes a dictator for which he creates his own tribe. This represents the personality change in Jack to a savage and ruthless person. Finally, Jack’s transformation of personality completes when Jack is able to kill at will. Jack loses his grasp of humanity when “Kill the pig! Cut his throat! Kill the pig! Bash him in!” Jack kills a pig and gets exposed to blood thrust. (Golding, 114). Killing the pig was the ultimate symbol of savagery for Jack and Jack’s last grip of innocence. The use of characterization, symbolism, and character development are various literary devices that Golding uses in Lord of the Flies to illustrate the change in Jack’s personality from a kid to a

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