Lord of The Flies Book Review
Uploaded by Z.Mohamed on Jun 08, 2001
Lord of the Flies dealt with changes that a group of British boys underwent as they gradually adapted to the isolated freedom from society. Three main characters showed different effects on certain individuals under those circumstances. Jack Merridew began as the arrogant and self-righteous leader of a choir. The freedom of the island allowed him to further develop the darker side of his personlity as the Chief of a savage tribe. Ralph started as a selfassured boy whose confidence in himself came from the acceptance of his friends. He had a fair nature as he was willing to listen to Piggy. He became increasingly dependent on Piggy's wisdom and became lost in the confusion around him. Towards the end of the story his rejection from their society of savage boys forced him to fend for himself. Piggy was an educated boy who had grown up as an outcast. Because of his academic childhood, he was more mature than the others and retained his civilized behaviour. But his experiences on the island gave him a more realistic understanding of the cruelty possessed by some people. The adventures of the three boys on the island made them more aware of the evil inside themselves and, in some cases, made the politeness disappear. However, the changes experienced by one boy differed from those endured by another. This is because of the physical and mental differences between them.
Jack was first described with having an air of cruelty that made him naturally unlikeable. As leader of the choir and one of the bigger boys on the island, Jack's physical height and authority matched his arrogant personality. His desire to be Chief was clearly visible in his first appearance. When the idea of having a Chief was mentioned Jack spoke out immediately. He led his choir by administering much discipline resulting in forced obedience from the choir boys. . However, despite his unpleasant personality, his lack of courage and his conscience prevented him from killing the first pig they saw. Even at the meetings, Jack was able to contain himself under the leadership of Ralph. He had even suggested the implementation of rules to regulate themselves.
This was a Jack who was proud to be British, and who was shaped and still bound by the laws of a civilized society(Britain) . The freedom offered to him by the island allowed Jack to express the darker sides...