In the unsettling novel, Lord of the Flies, William Golding develops the idea that evil is an inherent trait of mankind. Golding presents this central idea through the character of Jack Merridew, who embodies the descent into evil and savagery demonstrating the innate darkness that resides within individuals. Golding explores this idea by depicting how power dynamics, jealousy, and unrestrained ambition can corrupt even the most ostensibly good people. Through his descent into evil, his lust for power, and his embrace of primal instincts, Jack's character illustrates the capacity for malevolence that lies dormant within each individual. This exploration of evil not only serves as a cautionary tale but also prompts us to reflect on our own …show more content…
Fear is the main tool that helps Jack maintain his control. From this fear the boys indulge in acts of violence and engage in tribal rituals, discarding societal norms and embracing their darkest impulses. By the tenth chapter, Jack and his tribe become ungovernable, they end up killing Simon (thinking he was the beast) while on his way to inform Jack and his tribe about his finding of the ‘beast’. Simon was innocent, he should not have been killed. Unacknowledging that he has just helped kill Simon, Jack says, “No! How could we–kill–it?” (177). Jack refuses to recognize that he participated in the savage murder of Simon, not the beast. He wants the boys to fear the beast in order for him to keep control, so he wastes time by asking them if they have any ideas on how to kill the beast. Jack (and now his hunters) represents the evil trait present in mankind. By now it is obvious that Jack’s desire for power leads him to become evil. He wants to be the only one in charge and to have the greatest amount of power, so when he sees Ralph he says, “You go away Ralph. You keep to your end. This is my end and my tribe. You leave me alone” (195). Jack wants to be left alone, and he fears that if Ralph comes back he will lose all the power he has gained so far. He had lost all of his childhood innocence and discovered that evil is an inherent trait of mankind. Jack could have prevented all this from happening by simply taking a step back and letting someone other than himself be in
During the novel, Jack goes from a well-spoken, intelligent boy, into a violent savage, which leads the boys into fear. The moment Jack painted his face really shows how he turned to evil, and when Jack’s tribe saw it, they turned to it with him. Ralph is very smart and a great leader, but when you go to Jack’s tribe, it’s almost like he’s a dictator, going as far as suggesting killing you if you stand in the way of his plans. He also makes the boys realize they haven’t been eating, “Has everybody eaten as much as they want?” (Page 215) as a way for them to be nervous about food and for them to join his tribe.
Jacks violence is a huge problem. After Simon discovers that the beast is not a beast, the boy believe that he is the real monster. Causing them to attack him and eventually killing him. Jack violence and inner evil has influenced the boys and
William Golding illustrates in Lord of the Flies that humanity needs to have the boundaries of society and civilization to prevent the evil inside us from surfacing. Despite laws and order, humans still have the capacity to exemplify evil. Golding 's experiences as a school teacher, and in the war helped him shape Lord of the Flies. In this novel, Ralph has the ongoing struggle of attempting to enforce rules and build a civilized community. He ultimately fails miserably and everyone, including himself, becomes taken over by their inner savage.
Ralph is motivated by a desire to keep order, although he himself slips into savagery at various times, and he generally looks out for the interests of everyone, attempting to build shelters, & to keep the signal fire going. Jack is motivated at different times by a desire to be in control and a desire to kill and
Jack holds a grudge against Ralph and continually goes against the way Ralph is doing
Unlike Ralph, who tries to lead by example and persuasion, Jack relies on intimidation and physical force. He establishes his authority through the use of fear, using the boys' fear of the beast to manipulate and control them. Jack encourages violence and bloodlust among his followers, turning them into savage hunters who delight in killing animals and later, humans. Jack's leadership style creates a culture of violence and aggression that ultimately leads to the deaths of several
The society that Jack created after destroying Ralph's social order was so fragile and harmful. Ultimately, in order to destroy his enemies, Jack even risked killing everyone by setting a fire on the island just to murder Ralph. Because he was vulnerable on the inside, and he couldn't lose his identity completely, even though people were starting to call him “chief”: “I ought to be chief” (Golding, 24). Similar to dictators such as Hitler, Jack's strict regime, which focused only on the system of fear and ignored the welfare of the people, eventually collapsed when the rescuers came for Ralph. Writer, Yutaka Okuhata also mentions in his article: “Hitler gained strong power and formed a dictatorship in his country.
Their young mindset tempts them to see the worst. They act upon their poor thoughts. The boys argue where the beast comes from and when Simon suggests it comes from the water, the boys laugh and make fun of him. They then continue to argue and eventually Jack splits with his hunter followers to go find out for themselves. Jack felt the need that if he proved whether the beast was out there, that maybe he would be able to gain some of the respect he thinks he deserves.
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)
Do him in!”... The beast was on its knees in the center, its arms folded over its face. It was crying out against the abominable noise something about a body on the hill”(152). Simon is referred to as the beast during this, even though he was trying to help the others and inform them of what they believe the beast is. In actuality, the real beast here is Jack
In the Lord of the Flies evil is presented in all of Golding’s characters, both civilized and savage. His presentation of these characters demonstrates the concealed evil in all of humanity, and the actions that the kids take when allowed to present this aspect of humanity. Golding is able to present his opinion that despite the good in people evil will always lurk beneath the surface through the book. The main way Goldings conveys his ideas are through the savage thoughts and actions of the characters. Golding first portrays pure evil through the character Roger.
He uses his authority in a negative to not help for the betterment of they boys. SInce Jack grew stronger throughout the book he only cares about hunting “We’ll make sure we’ll go hunting” (37). The thought of hunting overruled Ralphs idea of staying alive and getting rescued. “Look we’ve killed a pig- we stole up on them- we got in a circle-” (69). Ralph spoke “You let the fire go out” “I cut the pig’s throat”
Firstly, Jack awakens aggression in the other boys. For example, when Jack hunts and “[feels] that hunting [is] good after all” (Golding 125) He becomes influenced by Jack's violence showing how a non-violent character such as Jack, can have aggression awakened. Secondly, Jack’s violence leads Simons death. At a meeting with his tribe, Jack notices Simon and thinks he is the beast.
He orders his tribe to hunt down Ralph and kill him simply because he was scared and unwilling to give up his leading position on the island. “ They hate you, Ralph they are going to do you.’ They are going to hunt you. ’”(188). Jack is in raged with anger and decides that Ralph is far more dangerous than he will be.
He desires control over the people. Jack leaves while exclaiming ‘“I'm not going to play any longer. Not with you”’ (Golding 127). He is no longer choosing to partake in Ralph's tribe, and work with him or the others.