Lord of the Flies Essay
Spencer Lyman
March 27th, 2013
Lord of the Flies Essay
There’s a New Chief in Town
What does it take for a group of civilized boys to be turned into inhumane, bloodthirsty savages? In William Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies, Jack is able to exploit the innermost evil in others through the means of psychological manipulation. With these tactics, he gains the support of his newfound tribe, and chaos breaks out on the island as a result. Jack manipulates the boys and turns them into a supportive tribe of savages by defying the conch, giving them the thrill of hunting, and using their fear of the beast against them. First of all, Jack breaks down civilization by defying the conch. During an argument at one of their assemblies, Ralph points out that rules are the only things that they have on the island. In other words, rules are the only things that are keeping the boys in tact and civilized. Jack shouts in response, “Who cares? Bollocks to the rules!” (Golding, 91). Jack’s outburst shows that he does not want to follow anybody’s rules or advice except his own, nor does he want to keep civilized like Ralph and Piggy do. He routinely does not respect the authority of the conch, which is the one sacred object that the other boys obey and listen to. Jack recognizes that the power of the conch is the only source of order and society that is keeping the kids from joining him and him becoming chief, which is exactly why he chooses to go against it. He then decides to separate himself from civilization, “I’m going off by myself. He can catch his own pigs. Anyone who wants to hunt when I do can come too” (127). By going off to fend for himself, Jack is intentionally opening the window of opportunity for others to follow his lead and hunt rather than keep order. Later on, when the mighty conch is destroyed, he celebrates, “See? See? That’s what you’ll get! I meant that! There isn’t a tribe for you anymore! The conch is gone- I’m chief!” (181). Clearly, with the
March 27th, 2013
Lord of the Flies Essay
There’s a New Chief in Town
What does it take for a group of civilized boys to be turned into inhumane, bloodthirsty savages? In William Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies, Jack is able to exploit the innermost evil in others through the means of psychological manipulation. With these tactics, he gains the support of his newfound tribe, and chaos breaks out on the island as a result. Jack manipulates the boys and turns them into a supportive tribe of savages by defying the conch, giving them the thrill of hunting, and using their fear of the beast against them. First of all, Jack breaks down civilization by defying the conch. During an argument at one of their assemblies, Ralph points out that rules are the only things that they have on the island. In other words, rules are the only things that are keeping the boys in tact and civilized. Jack shouts in response, “Who cares? Bollocks to the rules!” (Golding, 91). Jack’s outburst shows that he does not want to follow anybody’s rules or advice except his own, nor does he want to keep civilized like Ralph and Piggy do. He routinely does not respect the authority of the conch, which is the one sacred object that the other boys obey and listen to. Jack recognizes that the power of the conch is the only source of order and society that is keeping the kids from joining him and him becoming chief, which is exactly why he chooses to go against it. He then decides to separate himself from civilization, “I’m going off by myself. He can catch his own pigs. Anyone who wants to hunt when I do can come too” (127). By going off to fend for himself, Jack is intentionally opening the window of opportunity for others to follow his lead and hunt rather than keep order. Later on, when the mighty conch is destroyed, he celebrates, “See? See? That’s what you’ll get! I meant that! There isn’t a tribe for you anymore! The conch is gone- I’m chief!” (181). Clearly, with the