Struggle For Power In Lord Of The Flies Essay

In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, the struggle for power is evident among the boys and proves to be one of the main contributing factors towards their fate on the island. The main antagonist, Jack, is seen constantly fighting for power and leadership over the small group of boys, and because of this, it results in a rift among them, eventually leading to 2 deaths along with the loss of a civilized society. The struggle for power also helps enhance several points made in Golding’s work by demonstrating how quick humans are to degrade and turn against one another when put in a situation such as this one. Within the first few scenes of meeting Jack, he is already attempting to claim himself the leader. When discussing who will be the chief of the island, he states, “I ought to be chief,’ said Jack with simple arrogance.” (Golding 22) However, he is not chosen and expresses his anger over this by the redness of his cheeks. After this, Jack is now constantly fighting for total power …show more content…
After crash landing on the island, the boys realize they need a leader along with a set of rules, and even decide on the main symbol of power; the conch. “I’ll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he’s speaking.” (33) However, things quickly decline after this due to the boys’ separate desires, which end up clashing and their urge for power. Over time, the power of the conch, along with Ralph’s position as leader, begins to deteriorate while Jack’s position grows. “The rules!’ shouted Ralph. ‘You’re breaking the rules!’ ‘Who cares?” (91) As Jack finally rises to power, the conch loses its meaning, to which he responds, “I’m chief!” (181) By stating this moments after the death of Piggy, it shows Jack’s true intentions were to become leader and have total power; nothing else mattered to him and not even the death of a young boy could bring him back to