The Case of Jack Merridew The murders of Piggy and Simon have not gone unnoticed, and the kids from the island are all under question for their untimely deaths. The main suspect for their murders is Jack Merridew, one of the older boys on the island. The story originates in a book called The Lord of the Flies written by William Golding, about young boys who are stranded on the island. Jack is one of the older, more savage of the bunch, but he seems to be ill in the brain. Jack, being one of the main boys who were stranded on the island, cannot be held responsible for the murders of Piggy and Simon, two boys who were killed on the island. Jack Merridew was on the island at the time of the murders but cannot be held fully responsible for the …show more content…
He was crazy, as soon as he was placed on the island with no authority, he was unable to function in a humanly manner. He first started showing signs of this when he was placed in charge of the hunters. There was however, a ‘threat’ on the island known to the boys as the beast. “Kill the beast, cut his throat, spill his blood” (Golding 152). This was the most common chant, and it would get everybody riled up. The fear of the beast along with the darkness when Simon came out of the bushes with a bloody noise that leaves stuck to his face just shows that the murder was completely circumstantial. Jack had never meant to kill Simon, and the circumstances on the island should excuse the murders. Even if the circumstances aren’t enough to prove Jack’s innocence, then the fact that he had a disease known as psychosis should. “Psychosis occurs when a person loses contact with reality.” (Psychosis). This is from a medical website that explains what psychosis is and what its symptoms are. When Jack was completely removed from society and everything he knew as reality, his disorder began to show. He was confused when he exterminated Simon, he didn’t know any better in that situation. This mental disorder is a serious disease that proves Jack’s
Even though jack never directly kills anyone by himself, he has been in a group that beat someone to death, he had one of his hunters kill piggy, and he tried to stab ralph. Did Osama bin Laden do 9/11? Most people would say yes because he sent the martyrs to fly the planes in to the buildings, the pentagon, and the white house. This is the same reason jack is considered a killer. He turned Roger to his side and planted the idea into his head that piggy and ralph needed to die.
The story Lord of the Flies contains strong characters with various events that give them life. Jack, one of the main characters in the story, represents this thoroughly. During the story, Ralph and Piggy run into a choir group lead by a boy named Jack. Jack, like Ralph, show leader like qualities and they run against each other for the title of leader of the island. Jack loss the title to Ralph but they come to an agreement to make Jack chief of the island.
Imagine this. A group of boys crash land on a deserted tropical island and are now stranded with no supervision or adults. In William Golding's novel, Lord of the Flies, he shows just what might happen in this situation. The boys are alone and must find a way to survive until they are rescued. In an attempt to govern themselves, they choose Ralph, one of the main characters, as the chief and the intellectual Piggy as his assistant.
On the time of the island two boys were murdered, Simon Smith II and Piggy. I believe that justice was not served for the case of Jack Merridew vs. Lord of the Flies because he was only charged for one murder. Yes, Jack Merridew was found guilty for the aggravated murder and 2nd degree murder of Simon Smith II, but he was only given 10 years, he was not charged for the murder of Piggy, and Jack was charged as a juvenile.
When the boys first land on the island, We can see from all their depictions of the beast, they are scared of the thought of savagery and that fear manifested itself into many thoughts of a large and ferocious being, all “savage”
William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies, illustrates how Jack is a cruel perpetrator who takes advantage of those who are weaker and less powerful than him, demonstrating that power gives people an unrealistic sense of treatment towards others. Jack has shown how cruel of a character he is throughout the book when he poorly treats and disrespects the other boys on the island, kills and tortures animals with pleasure, and uses Ralph to gain power and authority over the island. Jack shows his cruelty by the number of times he poorly treats and disrespects the other boys on the island. In chapter 8 Jack states, “Sharpen a stick at both ends”(36) illustrating how Jack orders Roger to mount the dead pig's head on a stick that has been sharpened and place it outside for the
Taking advantage of and manipulating the youth is a dangerous trait for a leader to have. Jack attempts to take a leadership role throughout the entire novel. In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the character of Jack Merridew is upset by the rules around the island and feeds the idea of a beast on the island, “Bollocks to the rules! We’re strong – we hunt! If there’s a beast, we’ll hunt it down!
Power in the Lord of The Flies In the story The Lord of The Flies by William Golding, A group of boys are stranded on an island with no adults, and are forced to collaborate and work together to survive. Throughout the novel two boys named Jack and Ralph, face off in a major struggle for ultimate power. As the novel continues, Jack uses many oppressive methods of ruling to keep the boys under his control. In the Lord of the Flies Jack is able to seize, maintain, and abuse power through scare tactics, fear, and aggression.
Several different circumstances converge and lead to the first murder on the island. The multiple factors that caused the death to occur were Jack, the beast, the storm, the dancing, and Simon’s constant wandering off alone. Without these factors the first murder on the island would have been very different, but either way Simon would have eventually been killed. To start off, Jack was one of the main factors that lead to the murder. Jack’s madness and cruelty affected the other boys’ minds and caused them to think that it is okay to participate in atrocious activities.
In the novel, Lord of the Flies, over a dozen boys are stranded on an island with no adults and to fend for themselves. One individual in Jack Merridew, a boy who is turned cruel and ruthless, is being charged with 1st degree murder for the deaths of two boys, Piggy and Simon. First degree murder is characterized as deaths that a person committed was the individual either plans and commits the murder conscience of their actions. Jack is guilty of first degree and should be charged with 1st murder degree murder because of his direct involvement in Simon’s death, his dictatorial of leadership leading to the other boys’ savage behavior, and his disregard for human life.
Those were his first words that came out of Jack's mouth after Piggy was murdered showing that he had no sentimental value to him. He knew it was wrong to kill Piggy but all he cares about is himself. As stated in the research of “What’s going on in the teenage brain“ they seem to blame the brain for the consequences adolescents make “While adolescents might tend to be more moody and impulsive — and we now have some reason to believe that this might be reflecting a ‘normal’ part of brain development”.(healthychildren.org) This is practically an excuse that adolescent do not know what they’re doing due to their brains not being “fully developed”(healthychildren.org). Jack knew exactly what he was doing, he even admitted when he said “That’s what you’ll get!”(ch11 Golding) Before that Jack has always wanted the chief position very desperately, knowing his selfishness, brutal self, he would have done anything for it.
Simon was the first to realize there was no actual beast on the island, and that it was only a dead man with a parachute. He believed there was no such thing as a beast on the island, and he helped the littluns believe it too by saying: "What I mean is... Maybe it 's only us." (89). Simon was trying to suggest the idea that the beast was only an illusion to the boys’, as it had been created only within their imaginations.
The Investigation of Jack Merridew On the Island in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, Ralph was able to create the beginnings of a small civilized community. However, Jack Merridew decided that he wanted to take control of the boys, and he was determined to do so however he could. He started by hunting pigs and having feasts, and became more aggressive towards Ralph and his followers as his “tribe” grew. Eventually, Jack’s tribe began verbally and physically attacking Ralph’s group, which led to the deaths of Simon and Piggy.
Jack’s manipulation even is used to justify the death of Simon later. Simon is brutally murdered but Jack claims that the beast is just taking a different form rather than acknowledging the group’s wrong. The book suggests that Jack knows of the murder of Simon“This head is for the beast. It's a gift. ”(146)
Jack did kill the pig and get the meat. This implies that he is a good leader, but forcing the other boys to eat it should not give him power. It makes him more like a dictator. The other boys are under his influence and go wild after this. Jack is crazy with power on the night Simon in killed.