Sunday, October 13, 2019
Lord of the Flies :: Character Analysis, Jack and Ralph
Oneââ¬â¢s personality changes over time when it is necessary to adapt to oneââ¬â¢s environment or when one suffers or even thrives from anotherââ¬â¢s actions. In the Lord of the Flies, both Jack and Ralph underwent changes in their personalities, which also affected their relationship. It was obvious in the beginning that Jack would not get along easily with Ralph and Piggy because he ridiculed Piggy for his weight and awkwardness. However, Jack felt threatened because Ralph was voted chief. By saying ââ¬Å"I ought to be chiefâ⬠¦ because Iââ¬â¢m chapter chorister and head boy,â⬠Jackââ¬â¢s overconfidence was shown (Golding 22). On the other hand, there was Ralph, who was taller and more attractive than Jack was, and after being elected leader, he gave part of his power to Jack, displaying his generosity. This was when ââ¬Å"Jack and Ralph smiled at each other with shy liking,â⬠showing the beginning of their friendship (Golding 23). Ralph, starting off as a strong, demanding leader, was most adult-like out of everyone else; he was very concerned about the younger children, shown when he says ââ¬Å"ââ¬ËWe need shelters as a sort ofââ¬âââ¬â¢ ââ¬ËHomeââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬ (Golding 52). Also in the beginning, while they were exploring the island, their ââ¬Å"eyes shining, mouths open, triumphant, they savored the right of domination. They were lifted up; were friendsâ⬠(Golding 29). Their friendship was already growing at this point. A little later, Jack had made a pathetic attempt to stick a pig, but he let the pig go free. He made an excuse that he ââ¬Å"was choosing a placeâ⬠¦ just waiting for a moment to decide where to stab him;â⬠however, ââ¬Å"they knew very well why he hadnââ¬â¢t: because of the enormity of the knife descending and cutting into living flesh; because of the unbearable bloodâ⬠(Golding 31). Then he ââ¬Å"snatched his knife out of the sheath and slammed it into a tree trunk... [a nd] looked around fiercely, daring them to contradict,â⬠expressing not only his violent nature, but also his inability to kill (Golding 31). This also foreshadowed his savage hunting. In chapter two, Ralph calls a second meeting, when he makes up the rule that whoever is holding the conch gets to speak. This demonstrated that he was trying to establish order in some way; however, he was also shown to be a bit irresponsible, when he said that they ââ¬Å"want to have funâ⬠(Golding 37). When they were all making a fire by bringing up wood, ââ¬Å"Ralph found himself alone on a limb with Jack and they grinned at each other, sharing this burdenâ⬠(Golding 39).
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