Jack Merridew Corruption Quotes

Jack represents evil, violence and how people can have a dark side emerge in a period of hardship. As a former choirmaster and "head boy" at his school, he lands on the island having had control and power over others, by overpowering the choir with his bad attitude. He wants to make rules similar to Ralph but his rules are much harsher. Jack’s rules are more black and white.

Jack was a very power hungry young boy.  Although he doesn't have any power at the beginning of the novel, he took every opportunity to take the position of chief and was eventually successful. Jack's dictatorial style of leadership contrasted very directly with the more democratic and passive style of Ralph.  Jack ruled with an iron fist, allowing no one to question him or his leadership. Jack represented the wanting for a single, all-powerful leader to guide the followers of society using any means he feels necessary.

the new environment. He chooses neither. Instead, he exceeds the preposition and completely submits to the savagery. Jack commits hateful, cruel acts. He kills Simon as well as condemning the death of Piggy. He dresses up in camouflage and aggressively kills animals. For example, “Jack made a rush and stabbed at Ralph's chest with his spear.... They were chest to chest, breathing fiercely, pushing and glaring” (177). This shows his complete transformation. Ralph hadn’t transformed like Jack, and didn't feel the constant pressure. Jack constantly needed more power and more fear. He needed to devote himself to the island. He wanted to act upon all evil urges. As stated, “They were savages it was true; We see now from Ralph's side, that Jack twisted the tribes mind like a devil would to the point of making them little savages” (185). Since Jack had yielded, he had to turn everyone else too. Jack resembles Gimpel in many ways. As Gimpel was confronted with darkness that altered the way he thought about the world, so was Jack. Both characters allow urges that linger in the back of their mind to assert control. Unlike Ralph, both characters could not resist temptation. However, Ralph is able to stick with his morals, even as everything is taken away from him. He is starving, hurt, and truly alone, yet he still holds onto himself. Ultimately, the evil and hatred Jack possessed trump Ralphs realistic and fair ideals. This is because of everyone has their own battles within.

THE LORD OF THE FLIES – Essay If we were observing beings on another planet behaving like our own species, we would very likely call them monsters. We humans are capable of immense love and sensitivity, but we have been also capable of greed, hatred, war, murder and brutality. What is it that causes this ‘evil’ side of humans? “THE LORD OF THE FLIES” written in 1954 by William Golding illustrates the darker side of human nature. A plane carrying a group of British schoolboys is shot down over a deserted tropical island.

While tension rises between Jack and Ralph at one of the assemblies, Jack uses his strength to lead the littluns and other boys. Jack replies to Piggy during the assembly, “we’re strong-we hunt! If there’s a beast we’ll hunt it down” (Golding 91). With paint on his face, Jack is capable of rallying the boys in a time of uncertainty and turning them to his side. Jack shows his strength and confidence in hunting by yelling at the boys that they are fully able to hunt the beast themselves. In the beginning of the book, Choir leader, Jack Merridew, would have never shown this kind of unorderly confidence. However, now that he has his personality changing mask, he is able to hunt and show his killer strength to the boys. Jack also convinces the other boys that the masks will make them stronger, so now the boys begin wearing masks to find the strength to hunt. The mask signifies a powerful sign of strength in the book, but by the end of the book the mask has a much darker connotation.

As Jack is devolving, there is notable point where it speeds up. Jacks reaction after seeing himself with a mask on is described as "He looked in astonishment, no longer at himself but at an awesome stranger" (Golding 68). Golding uses this archetype to help Jack descend to a lower level. Jack doesn't feel the pressure of society when he wears a mask allowing him to be more susceptible to his urges. In addition to masks, the conch is symbolic to law and order. The boys at the end of the book haven't completely gone crazy because the conch was still an order enforcing figure on the boys. However, when the conch finally breaks the boys lose it and are fine with killing Ralph and following

Jack, one of the lead characters in the novel, alludes to the biblical figure Judas for his betrayal to the good of the people brought forth by Jesus. Jack is the reason Simon is killed, for he betrayed Ralph’s rules and brought forth the evil within the children’s minds. Jack refuses Ralph’s ideas and regulations in trade for fun and hunting. This shows his betrayal to the good of man and his want to bring evil forth to the island.

In our society we have our system for power set up making the understanding of who is in charge easy; However, when the boys are stranded on an island they are forced to come up with their own system, causing rivalries and corrupting rights and values. Before being stranded on an island Jack was an innocent, well-behaved child, however, when thrown into a foreign place with no society and no system of power it is very easy to destroy all of your innocence when obtaining most power. Jack was a hunter and was in charge of all the hunter, he eventually made his own tribe and almost everyone followed him, giving him a mass amount of control. Golding shows that Jack uses his power in ways only beneficial to him, easily seen when the remainder of Ralphs tribe approach Jacks and see him, “ painted up and wearing garland around his neck” (54). Jack uses his power to idolize himself and make the other

Jack is the opposite of Ralph. Instead of working toward good and helping each other out, the deserted island life gets to him and he becomes evil. He only wants to succeed and wants to wipe out anyone or anything that stands in his way. He reaches the level of complete insanity that he can’t even accept ideas other than his own in order to be rescued. Instead, he only fights with his personal goal in mind. Although he and Ralph are both determined people, they are each determined in very different ways. Jack is determined to not be a leader as much as to become a dictator, while Ralph wants to become a leader to keep the peace.

To begin with Jack, Jack wants power and leadership. The situation Jack is in makes his evil grow. Jack is letting the situation control him which is increasing the evil inside of him. The evil inside him is making him more selfish and violent. For example, at the starting of the novel when Jack had failed to kill the pig he cries to Ralph, “[Jack] tried to convey the compulsion to track down and kill that was swallowing him up. ‘I went on. I thought, by myself-’ The madness came into his eyes again. ‘I thought I might kill.” (Golding 51). The quote shows how at the starting of the novel Jack had good inside of him as he had feared killing an animal which makes sense as he is a kid. This shows that Jack was not evil from the beginning. But the situation and atmosphere increase the evil inside of him when he says, “I thought I might kill” this shows how the

Throughout the book, it can be noticed that Jack has the id personality. He wants to kill the pigs not for the benefit of the group, but for himself. He can also be seen as the devil because of how he acts. When Ralph and Jack were talking to each

Ralph represents law, order, organized society and moral integrity. Throughout the novel he is constantly making common-sense rules for the boys to follow. Unlike Ralph, Jack is unkind, caring about no one but himself and how he can benefit.   Jack simply wants to hunt and have a good time.  He makes fun of Piggy, humiliating him, making him feel small and unworthy.  "You would, would you? Fatty.... and Jack smacked Piggy's head" (Golding 78). Jack is a lost boy who begins to discover the evil within him.  When he proposes to the group that he should be the new chief, they do not respond in his favor, and Jack runs away, hurt and rejected.  He swallows his hurt ego and throws all of his energy into the only thing he seems to know how to do - hunting.  He puts on face paint and hides his conscience.  This changes him into a savage, an evil, violent monster. The colorful mask allows Jack to forget everything he was taught back in England.  "The mask was a thing on its own, behind which Jack hid, liberated from shame and self-consciousness" (Golding

These masks, which are used by Jacks followers called ‘the hunters,’ are made of clay paint. The evilness of the boys is clearly shown when they wear the masks. It is almost as if an infectious disease is spread upon them; they lose all sense of civilization. After Jack paints the mask on his face for the first time, it is clear what it does to him. “He began to dance and his laughter became a blood thirsty snarling. “He capered toward Bill, and the mask was a thing of its own, behind which Jack hid, liberated from shame and self-consciousness.” (Golding 64). This not only shows the cruelty of the mask, but it also shows how it opens Jack into the world of being a savage. Also, Golding mentions the colors of Jack’s first mask as being Red, White, and Black. These colors symbolize “violence, terror, and evil.” (Golding).

Jack Merridew is presented as the indifferent, older character of the novel. He is the antagonist and could be seen as a devil figure in the story. Jack is the hunter, the dictator and, throughout the story, is at constant battle with Ralph for his leadership. Jack wants to be in control of the island and the kids but the type of leadership that he offers is brutal and similar to that of a dictatorship and communism. Jack also believes that the group should have fun and stuff oneself with the food they hunt. He is not very concerned with the future of being rescued. On the other hand, Ralph wants order and work and is much more concern with being rescued.

Jack is both good and evil in the book. “I agree with Ralph, we’ve got to have rules and obey them. After all, we’re not savages” (Golding 42). In the beginning, even Jack wanted a good society with rules and a leader. They all agreed to vote for a chief and have a civilization. Ralph says, "This is our island. It's a good island. Until the grown-ups come to fetch us we'll have fun" (35). Jack thinks about the others and their well-being. Piggy says, "How can you expect to be rescued if you don't put first things first and act proper?" (45). Jack agrees with Piggy about the importance of rescuing them all off the island. He helps explain to the others that they need to listen to Ralph if they want to survive on the island. Even though in the end, Jack becomes the enemy, the beginning shows that he is good. However, without rules and adults to enforce them, he becomes a dictator.