In
Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, there are many character conflicts especially between the two main characters Jack and Ralph. Jack is obsessed with hunting and killing a pig while Ralph is more focused getting rescued. Although they both realize each others true goals no real conflict arose until Jack let the fire go out
while he was out hunting. The worse part of the whole thing is that there was a ship in sight when the fire went out. Jack comes back from his hunt triumphantly carrying a pig he had just killed. Ralph isn't sure how to react to Jack's disobedience. Even though he did let the fire go out they are also very hungry. How can Ralph justify using
ignominy on Jack while he also has the rest of the group's respect. The picture on the left shows Ralph and Jacks stand off, Jack on the left and Ralph on the right. Ralph's control over the group is beginning to
emaciate and Ralph knows it. Ralph calls a meeting to try to reestablish the ground rules and try to stamp out the fears of the littleuns. Ralph tries to sooth so he can keep everyone calm and organized but Jack wants to be leader and wants chaos and discord, his new respect as hunter is causing a power struggle between Ralph and Jack. The picture on the right shows the growing change in Jack's character. Jack always wanted to be leader but was willing to follow Ralph and his rules until he realized his new personality. Jack explains his paranoia to his fellow hunters expressing his awkwardness in his own skin. Jack draws himself a new face with clay covering his own and with it becomes the savage hunter willing to hunt and kill. With his new face Jack's hunger for power increases and he attempts to use the littleun's fear of the beast to create chaos so that he can come in as the new leader and kill the beast. Jack's blood thirst to kill seems to comfort the littleun's more than Ralph's continual existence that there isn't a beast. The picture below shows Jack's new found aggression in hunting and even his own success
at hunting and killing a pig has increased his feeling of self importance. Jack implies that they all need him for meat while he doesn't need them, once again using his new found influence to gain power over the others and Ralph. One of the main reasons there is some much disorganization in the group is the littleun's fear of the beast. The beast they say comes out at night and stalks around. Simon another bigun suggests that the only beasts they speak of are the ones inside of us all. They all scoff at him and laugh but this picture really shows the beast in Jack. In real life it shows what may be lurking in all of us, the wanting of power and the savagery that lurks within ready to take it. The daily news speaks of people killing in self defense or for money. When we are trapped in a corner we can reveal our true selves.
In Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, Jack has finally acquired the power he so desired. When the big group of lost boys split into two groups, one led by Ralph the other by Jack, the boys are becoming even less unified and more animal like. Jack has been wanting to become chief ever since he reached the island and his dream has been finally realized except his dream is exactly what is worst for the boys. Jack believes that hunting pigs is the most important thing to be worried about while Ralph believes that the fire should be the main concern on the island. When Jack first left the group to start his own only his hunters joined him. Jack and his hunters viciously kill a pig and later invite Ralph's group to feast on pig but before doing so they steal fire from Ralph's group symbolizing the fall of the importance of fire and Ralph's shaky hold on his remaining members. Almost everyone ends up going to this feast of pig where the tribal chants of the hunters are sung. Everyone becomes animal-like and wild so that when the only truly incorruptibly one on the island comes to the feast they kill him in the trill of the moment. Simon has just learned the true nature of the beast and had come to the feast to ease everyones' fear and restore the power to Ralph. Jack only rules his group because of the existence of the beast and if the beast was to be proven fake then he would lose his power. Jack's animal-like manner and hunting skills represent much more protection than Ralph's insistence of keeping the fire going. Jack now constantly wears his mask of paint all the time showing his fear of being in his own skin and his full progression to a beast. Simon's death was the only thing stopping Jack from complete domination by fear and viscous way he dies and how the ocean currents carry him away from the island represents that the last little piece of humanity has left the island. Simon had the courage to go see the beast himself and realized the truth of the thing. As Simon dies the wind carries the beast away from the island, destroying the evidence that would express Simon's unspoken words. Simon was beaten to death by bare hands, once again showing the descent of his fellow classmates. The water that supports Simon's body is said to be glowing green by the phosphorescent plants below giving Simon and almost heavenly form as though he is being carried away by angels, away from the blackness of the island. The title of the book is finally realized when Simon had a conversation with a severed pigs head while he was hallucinating. The pig's head was the Lord of the Flies who warns Simon that he does not belong on this island and not to interfere with future fun as though the other boys are part of a sick experiment.
