Jack Merridew Character Analysis

Throughout William Golding's “Lord of the Flies” many characters undergo certain changes, some more drastic than others. Jack is the antagonist, who is the primary representation of savagery in the novel. As the story progresses, it is shown how dynamic and multidimensional Jack is, he goes through both physical and emotional changes which separates him from most of the characters. Jack doesn’t start out as an aggressive and savage character, but as he is faced with challenging tasks like killing and hunting the pigs, his mental state then shifts to a more combative and turbulent mode. “The tall boy shouted at them. Choir! Stand Still” (Golding 20), which shows that before Jack was corrupted he obtained the character trait of leadership
As the story develops, Jack’s last name is not mentioned anymore throughout the story as a sign that Jack’s respect from his peers had dissipated because now he was no longer admired as head of the choir but instead known as the ruler of the hunters therefore he was called “The Chief”. “We can do without Jack Merridew. There’s others besides him on the island” (140), this was said by Piggy right after Jack decided to leave and create his own tribe which shows that up to that point Jack was still a civilized person. “We’ll hunt! I’m going to be chief” (146), this was said by the new fascist leader of the hunters, Jack, this shows that Jack is no longer an elegant church boy but now he has become a new person who is an extreme savage “The Chief”. This is the most extreme transformation in the novel, Jack went from a proper church boy who was respected like a king to an insane fascist chief making him the most complex character in the novel. Jack has a desire to rule and when Jack holds a vote to kick Ralph out of power he decides to leave Ralph’s empire because no one voted against him. Since the beginning of the novel, Jack was dying to be in charge in every possible situation and when he lost the vote to be chief