In Lord of the Flies, when Ralph and Jack compete for leadership of the boys, most of the boys show their loyalty to Ralph; by making him to leader of them. But as the book continues, and Jack becomes more savage, the boys cast off moral restraint and embrace violence and savagery. That is apparent when Jack tells the boys to “Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Spill her blood” (96).
Jack represents the irrational nature of the boys, while Ralph represents common sense. With Jack in power, the dark side of humanity is unleashed. He punished other children, started the frenzy that lead to the murder of Simon, and tortured the twins until they followed him and his tribe. On the night of Simon's death, Jack had gone mad with power. He sat on a large log "painted and garlanded .
Spill his blood!’ ” (187). Simon was in his thicket when he spotted the Lord of the Flies. As he was returning to the island, the boys saw Simon as they danced wildly, thought he was the beast and murdered him with their sharpened spears. Even Ralph had participated in this incident. Soon everyone decided to follow Jack as he had promised them meat and protection, but soon became a vicious leader.
He became absolutely obsessed with hunting and killing pigs. At first it really was just to feed all of the boys, but more towards the end of the story it was for the please of killing the pig to feel powerful and pure primeval. Allowing Jack to become this kind of monster was another mistake that the boys made. Because once he changed other boys started to follow until it was just Ralph and Piggy by themselves and all other boys were in Jack’s tribe. Of course then Piggy was killed.
This is an example of how savage the boys had truly become. The turpitude that the boys possessed during this hunt shows how the evil in them had taken oven. Later, Jack told the boys that they would offer the head as a sacrifice to the beast of the island. He told them to "sharpen a stick at both ends...as he stood up, holding the dripping sow's head in his hands... and jammed the soft throat down on the pointed end of the stick" (Golding, 126). The ability of Jack to perform this atrocious act shows his complete digression from propriety to absolute
Lord Of The Flies Motif Essay In “Lord of the Flies”, William Golding uses symbols and motifs to convey his theme of the nature of mankind. In the beginning they are organized and behaving in a rational way. As the story progresses the boys become more and more savage until at the end they are hunting one of them with the intention of killing him. Through the book, Golding uses the conch, the fire, the hunting party, the clothing and the beast to convey that men are naturally savage without laws to control them. They are on an island after they survive a plane crash.
Hunting gives Jack an adrenaline rush which he very much enjoys. He talks about the experience of killing a pig during one of their assemblies: “‘There was lashing of blood,” said Jack, laughing and shuddering”(69). Jack starts enjoying these violent acts of killing and falls deeper into savagery. He takes his group down this dark and violent path even further. Robert and Roger talk about Jack going to beat up one of their tribe members, “‘He got angry and made us tie Wilfred up.’”(159).
To achieve a mark in band 4 or higher, candidates should offer a substantial treatment of both parts. 7 Question 3 How does Golding present violence in Lord of the Flies? (30 marks) Indicative content A01 The various violent events which occur: the deaths, the hunting The savagery of Jack‟s tribe – both in attitude and action The attitude of Jack and Roger What the violence represents A02 How Jack and Ralph are presented by Golding Contrast of the description of the death of Simon and the death of Piggy The language/chanting of the boys as they hunt the pig Structure: the gradual descent of the boys into savagery, how it is foreshadowed and how the ending changes things 8 Question 4 How does Golding present Piggy as „a true, wise friend‟? (30 marks) Indicative content A01 Overt consideration of the words „true‟ and „wise‟ in relation to Piggy Piggy at the start of the novel and the conch Others‟ attitudes to him His relationship with Ralph and how he is also a „friend‟ to the island A02 Presentation of Piggy‟s appearance and his speech which seem at odds with his wisdom The description of his death and what it symbolises How Golding presents others‟ attitudes to him His glasses and the idea of
William Golding uses a few symbols such as the beast, hunting, and the conch to show the change from civilized to savage in the boys. William Golding uses the beast to symbolize the boys becoming savage. The beast is the idea of a monster or animal that is on the same island as them, like being trapped in a cage with a lion. No escape. It shows that when people are scared they will do crazy things.
When is loses its power, chaos occurs. For example when Jack states, “And the conch doesn’t count at this end of the island−” (Golding, 166). They have an argument and begin a chant. Jack leads the chant and Simon crawls out of the forest to be brutally murdered by the boys. This shows that when a once huge symbolism of power loses its significance, mayhem takes place.