Jack And Ralph In William Golding's Lord Of The Flies

Improved Essays
From "Jack and Ralph smile at each other with shy liking", it is seen that they try to become friends despite the fact that their opinions and personalities differ much. It was decided that Ralph would be the chief by the tribe. When "freckles on Jack's face disappeared under a blush of mortification" for not being voted to be chief, Ralph appointed Jack as the leader of his choir. From ' "Almost too heavy." Jack grinned back, "Not for the two of us" ' it is seen that Jack and Ralph remain to be on the same team. While both boys use different methods each to make the tribe feel safer from the beast, it is also evident that the two boys are not working together to solve this issue. Jack and Ralph have their first argument over hunting and shelter and …show more content…
Tension is growing, and Jack seems to be gaining power over the tribe. Ralph tries to assert his authority by keeping the number one priority as keeping the flame alive. The boys do not listen to Ralph and Jack does not step up and be responsible as well. Ralph follows Jack and his Hunters to find the beast and he seems okay with Jack leading. Even though there was tension between the two of them and they are still fighting, it seemed ever so slightly that the two friends may come to like each other again. Jack challenges Ralph's leadership. He rebels against Ralph but it fails and leaves Jack rejected and alone. He decides to throw a feast to get majority of the tribe towards his side. This shows Jack and Ralph have been separated, not just literally by factor of space, but also mentally, by hatred and annoyance towards one another. Jack uses simple logic, ' "I gave you food," said Jack, "and my hunters will protect you from the beast. Who will join my tribe?" ' and gets almost everyone to his tribe. Jack starts to despise Ralph completely and becomes barbaric which causes Simon's death. Jack and his Hunters take Piggy's glasses. ' "That was Jack and his hunters," said Ralph bitterly. "Why can't

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Also, Jack is making the others chant and dance so they will forget Ralph's plan on shaping the island's future. When Jack becomes chief of his own tribe, he brings everyone together to form a more unified island. He is trying to force others to join his tribe so it can become superior to Ralph's. This quote showed how Jack is stealing power from Ralph by using it for the wrong reason. Jack becoming chief is different because he is transforming everyone into savages.…

    • 989 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Soon enough the boys began to have interest in Jack being their leader. Jack proves to be a fearless leader due to his hunting skills. A majority of the boys decide to join Jack’s group after they realized Ralph is an unsuiting leader for them. Ralph had lost his self-confidence due to Jack and the boys rebelling against him and decided to give up the role of being a chief. Later on in the novel Jack decides to invite Ralph’s group to a feast to convince them to join his group while Simon was out in the forest talking to the Lord of the Flies, as Simon came out of the forest to tell the kids that the “Beast” was unreal and that…

    • 986 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Jack Merridew is a very charismatic boy who seems innocent, but he is a threat to the boys. William Golding introduces Jack as a government-oriented boy by saying that "'We've got to have rules and obey them. After all, we're not savages. We're English, and the English are best at everything'" (Golding 42).…

    • 207 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Ralph expresses his exasperation and disbelief towards Jack, emphasizing the differences between their two personalities. Ralph is essentially fixated on being rescued, whereas Jack is captivated by the gratification that hunting provides to him. This closely shows the difference between Ralph and Jack due to the lack of care regarding rescue shown from Jack and the undivided attention Ralph is displaying towards being saved…

    • 290 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    On the other hand, Jack started out as a terrible leader, the way he treated his choir mates and how they hesitated to vote for him to be the leader, and it only get worse. We were reminded of Jack and Ralph, and who they really are when the naval commander arrived, the commander sees Jack as: “A little boy who wore the remains of an extraordinary black cap on his red hair and who carried the remains of a pair of spectacles at his waist, started forward, then changed his mind and stood still.” (Ch.12), the commander does not see Jack as a savage chief of the tribe but as a hesitant young boy. For Ralph, the commander sees him in the middle surrounded by other boys trying to kill him, so he perceive Ralph as: “And in the middle of them, with filthy body, matted hair, and unwiped nose, Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy.”…

    • 931 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Throughout the novel we see many differences between Jack and Ralph. We see it so much that onw could argue that they disagree on everything. They are different when it comes to almost anything from leadership skills to personality to looks. Although Jack and Ralph both have the good qualities thaty they are required to be a good leader. We also see that just like anyone else, both of the boys have flawas and weaknesses.…

    • 118 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Throughout the novel, Jack and Ralph had their constant bickering about their position in the group of kids. Jack and Ralph both had a different aspect about the way to run their little society that was formed, which led to many conflicts when Ralph finally decided to act and think for himself. Once Jack finally realized Ralph had began to act on his own he took this as an opportunity to detach from the rest. “‘Who’s going to join my tribe?’... ’I gave you food,’ said Jack,’and my hunters will protect you from the beast.…

    • 1151 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Jack tries to get Ralph out of power after they saw the "deformed ape" that is really a silhouette of a parachute. Jack calls Ralph a coward, but the boys will not vote Ralph out of office. Jack storms off taking the hunters with him. As the remaining boys help Ralph build a fire most of them slip off to join Jack. Jack then declares himself the new leader.…

    • 232 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Knowing that everyone has had their share of fear, he capitalizes on it by insisting that “ The beast is sitting up there, whatever it is-“ (126), and manipulates the situation by claiming that Ralph believes that his “hunters are no good” (126), and that Ralph also “thinks [that the boys are] cowards, running away from the boar and the beast” (126). By saying that Ralph is dignifying the group as being defenseless, Jack offers a new perspective: that he will bring defense. Full of their own fear, and losing rational thought, the boys begin to believe that Ralph is not helping them as chief, and that Jack would bring them their ‘proper’ needs. Once Jack gains almost complete control over the boys of the island, he transforms himself into a symbol of fear. With hunting and the beatings of Wilfred for not being loyal, the torturing of Sam and Eric to join his tribe, and the “stabbing motions with his spear” (168), he portrays himself as another beast to the boys.…

    • 1010 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Jack was hunting in the woods. After finding a pig run he misses a pig with his spear. The boys have meetings twice a day. Ralph and Jack talk about finding shelter and meat. They are also concerned about the young boys being afraid and having bad dreams at night.…

    • 225 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The boys are united in their allegiance to him; they ate his food, now they must be in his tribe and serve him. Once they have received ‘communion’ from Jack, they are bound to him. In this way, he was able to form a tribe dedicated to him in a way Ralph never could. Ralph may have held assemblies, but these assemblies held no real power. Jack’s communal feast proves to be a much more binding assembly than any of…

    • 811 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    According to psychologist Solomon Asch’s social conformity theory, people strive to fit in with and be accepted by those around them. In castaway novel Lord of The Flies, author William Golding demonstrates how this theory applies to two polar opposites: a socially-inept intellectual and a jealous yet aspiring leader. From the beginning of his stay on the island, Piggy is ridiculed and mocked by the other boys for his appearance as well as for the way he behaves. While the boys are learning each other’s names, Jack yells at Piggy, saying, “shut up, Fatty” (Golding 21).…

    • 448 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Jack felt that he was better suited for the role as the chief so he explained to the boys why Ralph was not a successful leader. Jack diminished the power that Ralph had in order to satisfy his craving for control. He used his capabilities, talents, and carefree attitude to obtain power and take the away the control that Ralph had achieved at the beginning of the book. After his speech, Jack seemed like a better fit for the position of chief which caused the many boys in Ralph’s tribe to side with Jack. Jack’s persuasion allowed him to become the chief of a new tribe that he created on the other side of the island away from Ralph’s now impuissant group.…

    • 1305 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    As the story progresses however, Jack becomes the favored leader of the group leaving Ralph emotionally burdened. “Why do you hate me?... The silence lengthened. Ralph, still hot and hurt, turned away first.” (Golding 118).…

    • 1751 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    With Ralph’s understanding of the need for order and rules, he improves the society in which the boys are living in. Jack’s society was barbaric and savage and met none of these needs, Also, Jack treated the boys very badly and as inferiors. Ralph, on the other hand was able to treat the boys all equally and with respect. Ralph’s priority to get off the island demonstrates his wisdom and ability to make good decisions.…

    • 703 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays