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Lord Of The Flies Juxtaposition Analysis

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The human psyche is a complex and malleable part of the human body. People react, adapt, and grow to meet the needs of the situation just like any other species. Golding, through his experiences in WWI, gained powerful insight into the human mind: how easily it is susceptible to change and how quickly men of any age can and will resort to violence. This insight allowed him to challenge commonly accepted moral beliefs and principles held in society during his time period and expand on what people believed as usual and normal. Through his nearly blatant use of juxtaposition to his subtle yet powerful application of symbolism throughout the novel, Golding grants the reader a further understanding of the fragile nature of human morals and innate …show more content…

Ralph and Jack most clearly represent Golding’s use of Juxtapositioning in the novel. Both individuals embody polar opposite character traits that are prevalent in all people. Evil, corruption, and satanic morals swirl around in the mind of Jack while the use of the thought process, the presence of a right and wrong moral compass, and the use of reason are traits allotted to Ralph. Ralph is the man that we all show but Jack is the true beast that lies in the hearts of us all. Ralph, in correlation with his insistence on being found and building shelter, decides to build a signal fire and places some of the boys to attend to it. This is juxtaposed with Jack wanting to hunt yet again. Jack takes the boys and uses them to assist in killing the pig, but, coincidentally, a ship passes the island while Jack has the boys that were responsible for keeping the fire going (Golding 68). This once again shows evidence of Jack’s insistence on the need to hold power. He feels that orders from Ralph don 't apply to him. He thinks he knows what 's best. This only adds more tension to the group. When Ralph gets to the signal fire and realizes the boys are gone, he gets very angry. At that point, the column of boys stride up the hill carrying a dead pig. Jack is with them and evidently pleased with himself. When they get to Ralph, Jack begins to jump up and down with excitement while Ralph remain silent and calculating (Golding 73). The juxtaposition of their moods is quite ironic in nature. Most of them are happy for killing the pig when, in fact, the killing of the pig resulted in the loss of the signal fire and a wasted opportunity to be rescued. Golding repeatedly useds the juxtaposition of opposite themes to create a deeper contrast between the two. Ralph and Jack most clearly represent Golding’s use of Juxtapositioning in the novel. Both individuals embody polar opposite character traits that are prevalent in all people. Evil, corruption, and satanic morals swirl

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