Jack Merridew is a character who embodies the side of human nature that commits murder, stretches the truth, and causes pain to others. He was the main source of conflict in the novel “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding. This character was a powerful figure in this story and because of that, influenced this group of vulnerable, young boys into a dangerous pit of savagery. Jack Merridew has a violent, tyrannical, and evil aura to him that Golding really pressed to his audience. He symbolizes a side to human nature that is too frightening to contemplate. To begin, Jack’s character was developed as extremely violent. He’s been shown as someone who enjoys hunting wild animals and enjoys hurting those around him. “‘There were lashings of blood,’ said Jack, laughing and shuddering,’You should have seen it.’” (63)
This quote demonstrates the distinct desire for violence that resides in Jack. In the midst of fear, threat, or even boredom, Jack has resorted to hunting as a mechanism of relief. Jack’s violence slowly developed into something apparent and threatening throughout the novel. In the beginning of the story, his violent tendencies were introduced as he established hunting as one of his casual activities. Hunting consisted of searching for,
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He taught them how to hunt and be savages. Jack’s method of leadership resembled that of a dictator’s. He used fear and intimidation to demand gruesome things from the boys. For instance,”’You don’t know Roger. He’s a terror.’ ‘And the chief-they’re both-’ ‘-terrors-’” (173) This quote was stated by Samneric, a pair of twins who were involved in Jack’s tribe. As evident, Jack used his ability to terrorize people as a technique of leading. From this hunger for power, Jack acquired a strong tribe and used them to do sickening things, such as murder Simon, decapitate a wild boar, and throw a rock over Piggy’s
Jordan Yeakle Mrs. Tantlinger Honors English 12 2 January 2018 Title Jack lost all control of himself after he became blood thirsty for killing pigs. Sadly, his need to kill did not end with pigs and it continues to people including a boy named Simon. Jack starts as a strong, independent boy and ends as a savage without control proving that the The evils of man leads to the destruction of mankind. Jack Merridew is an innocent boy who wants to become the leader so anxiously that he ends
Jack Merridew is nothing short of a devil in disguise. The devilish mask I created represents how corrupt he became throughout the book. Jack, like the devil, wanted to be in power, and went out of his way to get it through darker means, which contributed to his downfall in character. His power-hungry nature created a monster which was bred to kill Ralph and his other companions, even if it weren't by his own hands necessarily. His tribe and followers, like Roger for example, took the lives of Piggy
Jack Merridew is a perfect demonstration of the theme that society falls apart when people do not follow it’s rules. At the beginning of William Goldings “Lord of the Flies” the boys establish order, a leader, and make rules. For example, Ralph is made leader, and they make a rule that whoever has the conch speaks. However, even early on Jack has a problem with Ralph’s leadership, “”. This becomes important later on. Later in the novel, Jack’s rejection of rules becomes far more apparent. For example
plane crash. . Jack Merridew, the head boy of his school, slowly reveals his evil nature while trying to take over the tribe. Throughout the book, his humanity enervates, while his desire for power strengthens and grows. By utilizing Jack Merridew’s actions and reasons, Golding suggests that the appetite for power manifests man’s true evil nature and results in violence. While the boys are not au courant with the
changes, especially Jack Merridew. As the story builds up, he exchanged his innocence with the savagery and discipline with the rebellion. Also, he lost his sense of civilization. At the beginning of the novel, Jack wasn’t capable of hunting, instead he was a reasonable leader and law-abiding. However, toward the end, not only did he kill a pig, he was determined to kill the boys. He rebelled through liberating the restrictions- eventually becomes the symbol of evil. Firstly, Jack exchanged his innocence
represents savagery, violence and tyranny. Although the most “obvious leader was Jack” (pg.22), the boys didn’t choose him. Having been rejected as a chief at the first meeting, anger and jealousy takes hold on him, and he starts manipulating the boys. “They knew very well why he hadn’t: because of the enormity of the knife descending and cutting into living flesh; because of the unbearable blood.” (pg.31) This indicates the Jack fears killing the pig at first, a fear he overcomes as he sheds civilisation
society and rules, people are civilized, but without it people become savages. In his novel, Lord of the Flies, from being a picture of leadership to an animal to the ringmaster of evil, Jack Merridew personifies Golding’s idea that humans will revert back to their evil instincts without society being present.
make people do unspeakable things, even to the level of murder. In William Golding's fictional novel, Lord of the Flies, Jack Merridew dropped to this level of insanity and brutally murdered two of his fellow islanders. The boys had been stranded on an island for an extensive period of time without any real food or water supply, yet that is no excuse for committing murder. Jack should be charged with first degree murder on behalf of Simon, and accessory to murder in regards of Piggy for he led Simon
power.” The meaning behind Lincoln’s quote is simply that any man can be resilient after a hardship, but the true identity of the man will seek forth once you grant him power. This quote correlates to the characters Jack Merridew in Lord of the Flies, and Julius Caesar in the play Julius Caesar. This quote applies to Caesar and Merridew because both characters are put to the test when they are given power, but their positions of handling vary. Jack Merridew in Lord of the Flies held his power in
Ralph, Piggy, Jack, Simon, and many others are stranded on a deserted island. Throughout the story, the boys begin to think that there is a beast within the forest. Simon was considered the prime suspect by the others, he was the only one who would spend his days in the forest for some alone time. This led to the murder of Simon, which the majority of the boys were involved in. Still, there was one particular person who was mainly responsible for Simon's murder, which was Jack Merridew. Each boy on
resided on is outside the borders of civilization, Dr. King’s quote still holds true, thus the boys are to be charged for their actions. The accused, Jack Merridew, is being charged with 2nd degree murder, armed criminal action, and endangering the welfare of a child, due to his participation in the murder of Simon, brandishment of spears, and lack of regard for the other children on the island, respectively. The accused, Jack Merridew, is to be charged with 2nd Degree Murder, on the grounds that
they may have an assembly. Jack Merridew, the leader of the choir boys. takes an instant disliking to Piggy, “You’re talking too much,’ said Jack Merridew. ‘Shut up, Fatty” (Golding 21). With the use of the term “Fatty”, he is judging Piggy based on his outer appearance and not what is on the inside. Therefore dismissing Piggy as an important leader to the group by undermining his abilities based on this outer appearance.
Your Honor, this is evidence against the defense number 4. It states that Jack Merridew’s role on the island was to make sure that the boys had food and that the fire kept going. On the first hunt, Jack was unable to kill the pig that he had his heart on. He was upset because “[he] wounded a pig and the spear fell out” (bottom of pg. 51); he felt that by having the spear fall out he was
book is made to show that humans provoke their own evil not the environment. The one who provokes the evilness to all the boys and loses his innocence is Jack Merridew; he throughout the book represent the evil in a man’s heart and goes from a choir leader to a pig hunter to murderous dictator. From the beginning, Golding is foreshadowing Jack to be a fearsome dictator. Golding writes, “Then the creature stepped from the mirage on the
Jack Merridew: From Proper School Boy to Vicious Savage. “The theme is an attempt to trace the defects of society back to human nature” (Golding 204). Jack Merridew, one of the main characters in the book gives readers an idea as to what could happen if society didn’t have rules and laws. People would lose sight of their morals and it would eventually lead to personality and physical change. In the book Lord of the Flies William Golding demonstrates character change in Jack by modifying his physical