Jack Merridew is a character in Lord of the Flies who always fights against Ralph about who should be in charge. Jack is described as a tall, thin, ugly boy with light blue eyes that seem to turn angry at any moment. When Ralph first sees Jack, he also notices a group of choir boys behind him. Jack is the leader of the choir, and enjoys being in control. If he is not in control, he relentlessly tries to become the figure in power. Jack discredits the power of the conch and lies about Ralph so the children will not want him as leader. “‘The conch doesn’t count on top of the mountain,’” (Golding 42). When Jack is embarrassed, he becomes violent. When Piggy embarrasses Jack about the signal fire, Jack becomes upset and “… stuck his fist into Piggy’s
From civilized choir boy to savage chief, Jack Merridew was definitely an influential character in this book. Throughout the story, we see Jack's inner evil come out and turn him into a harsh and savage chief. He was a character that not everyone in this book liked, and he definitely went through some changes. Jack's physical appearance, his behavior throughout the story, and the way others react to him are what make Jack a character to remember.
Evil, the act inflicting pain on others, and the desire to always want to hurt someone physically or emotionally. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, the boys are placed in strenuous circumstances that cause them to perform ruthless acts on each other. In Dr.Zimbardo’s Ted Talk he claims that when an individual is placed under the proper circumstances, he or she is competent of pursuing malevolent behavior towards someone. It is clearly demonstrated in the novel when the boys show dispositional factors (bad apples vs good apples), situational factor (bad barrels), and systemic factors (bad barrel makers).
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.
All our personalities compare to a character from Lord of the Flies, and I found myself to be an ENFP or an idealist; someone most comparable to Simon. An ENFP or an idealist personality displays characteristics of being extroverted, intuitive, feeling and perceiving which. Furthermore, passionately concerned with positive improvement, being kind, warm, sympathetic, distracted and motivated were all trait described in the personality test for the ENFP. Due to our selflessness, how introverted and extroverted we are, and how we can think both logically and emotionally, makes Simon and I most similar.
Jack is aggressive with the other boys on the island. Jack is aggressive with the boys when he gets mad. The hunters “drove Jack to violence.” Jack then “took a step, and able at last to hit someone, struck his fist into Piggy’s stomach” (Golding 71). Jack was mad at the hunters, so he took it out on Piggy. Robert says Jack is “going to beat Wilfred.” The boys have no idea what for. Robert says Jack, “got angry and made us tie up Wilfred up for no reason just because he got angry. Jack did the same thing with Piggy.
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was right in saying that the “only thing we have to fear is fear itself”. Jack Merridew’s evil ways are evident as he uses fear to control the boys on the island. In the beginning of the book, his presence itself at the election of chief instills the first of the fears within each of the boys. Jack uses his personality as a menace to the boys on the island. Although Jack garners support from the majority of the group, they assist him only through fear of what he is capable of doing to them if they do not do as he commands. As one can see multiple times throughout the book, Jack deems it necessary to hunt down pigs on the island, but why? Jack carries a demon inside of him that allows him to do such acts. If things are not done as he wishes, his fury is unleashed on everyone around him. While the others find hunting as a chance for adventure, Jack practices it as if it were a ritual. This ritual extends beyond the pig caught between the “creepers”; pigs are eventually replaced with human flesh. The boys’ fear keep them in the circle of dancing for they are afraid that one of them will be the next in the center of the dance. This outlook on violence is what drives the fear inside them. Later on, Jack uses the belief of the beast to further enlarge the terror of the schoolboys. The idea of the beast was originally brought up by a “littlun” but Jack uses the little boy’s fear to his advantage. The sacrifices made, the spears, and the face
Stories through history argue that evil tendencies are shown in early life. One character, Jack Merridew in Lord of the Flies by William Golding, is a perfect example. This young boy is the evolving antagonist who brings discord in his wake, and fundamentally undermines the representative society on the island. At the outset, he is seen as a plainly ugly redheaded child, only possessing his grandiose black cloak, but evolves into something more sinister. Jack’s actions are impulsive, but effective in moving his darker motives forward. He uses his following of other young boys as muscle, demonstrates his power, and corrupts the world of Lord of the Flies with his destructive behaviors. As well as demonstrating the characteristics of a harsh leader, Jack fits the description of evil under other descriptions. Jack is the character that moves the novel forward with his harsh words and conduct, as illustrated by his dominance, pride, and selfishness.
Jack Merridew is perhaps one of the most intriguing individuals on the island throughout the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding. From the time he enters the story, to the very last page, Jack makes his presence and desire for authority well-known. Representing the darkness of mankind, even in children, Jack constantly abuses his power and brings out the worst in those around him. Jack Merridew is not a dynamic character, however, his original rebellious and malevolent nature gradually reveals itself more as the story progresses.
There are no adults on the island. No one to make them feel safe when there is an unknown creature that feeds off fear. Jack takes that fear and causes a decline in the society of the boys on the island. First of all, he is stubborn. Jack is also immature and reckless. Thirdly, he is power-hungry. Lastly, Jack is driven by fear.
In the novel Lord of the Flies, Jack Merridew is seen as a character that wants to be leader and have power over everyone. His presence seems to terrify all the boys on the island, and uses this to his advantage to control the boys and manipulate them. As evil as he already seems, Jack is known to be the character to experience the most change out of anyone involving the change from civilization to savagery. He begins as an arrogant choirboy, who is actually seen cry when Ralph is elected leader of the island instead of him. Jack's original feelings were to keep an organized group on the island, and also mentions that he is not a savage, and that he will always do the right things. When Ralph brings everyone in the group together, Jack says, "I agree with Ralph. We've got to have rules and obey them. After all, we're not savages. We're English, and the English are the best at everything. So we've got to do the right
Horace once said that, “Force without wisdom falls on its own weight.” Jack Merridew is a boy who who becomes stranded on an inhabited island from six to thirteen years old. They are forced to survive in this environment until they are rescued. Jack Merridew, a character in William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies, has changed from the beginning of the novel. In the beginning of the novel, Jack’s behavior and attitude is immature and extremely cocky, while toward the middle, he becomes more animal-like, and towards the end, he is a savage and acting on impulse and emotions. Jack’s behavior throughout the novel takes a drastic turn, but his behavior, after the plane crash, is significant to the novel.
though Jack does not want to be seen as a child, but as a figure of
No human, or animal, or other living being in this world is perfect. Flaws are existent. However, the severity of the flaws can differ, from mild to rather dangerous. Most importantly, flaws develop in a human being due to specific reasons. In Lord of The Flies, the author William Golding’s portrayal of selfishness and pride are significant because they are emotions that prevail when a civilization is absent, showing that humans have a tendency to go towards savagery that is contained by the presence of a civilization.
Humans, the civil species that dominate the planet. Made up of a complex composition, humans consist of many layers, one being a primitive instinct which can possess our humanity under certain conditions. In many novels, there is a particular character who represents evil or trouble. In William Golding's novel Lord of the Flies, the character Jack symbolizes this darkness and internal wickedness of the human soul itself, and demonstrates how it can become unleashed and completely consume a mortal being. Digging down to illustrate Jack’s character reveals him as egomaniacal, ruthless, and cold blooded. However, the word which sums him up as a whole is definitely belligerent. Jack had felt a strong jealousy towards Ralph, who was chosen as chief, after a group of school boys became stranded on an island, and had shattered the boys’ innocence and humanity with his savagery. The exact definition of belligerent is “hostile and aggressive,” with synonyms of antagonist and warlike, which describes Jack without a doubt. If it wasn't for Jack, the boys might’ve had a chance to keep a sense of who they were. Instead, Jack withdrew the darkest and most evil side of human nature, and will always remain an active side of him.
Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding, has four very important dynamic characters. A dynamic character is a character that develops and grows during the course of the story. Ralph, Jack, Piggy, and Simon are four dynamic characters in Lord of the Flies that adapt to their new lifestyles in different ways. Jack is a very important dynamic character in Lord of the Flies because he goes through the most changes during the novel. While on the island, Jack has many life experiences that change him forever. Jack never thought he would live his life the way he is living his life in the island. Jack’s authoritative figure, savage-like/instinctual behavior, and violence are three qualities that make Jack a dynamic character.