Good And Evil In Lord Of The Flies Analysis

Jack and Ralph were motivated for their actions in different ways. Ralph was motivated strictly by the hope of being rescued. Even though he called meetings and tried to organize the group of boys to do simple things like build huts or keep the fire going so they could be rescued or survive, the boys would go play or bathe. Ralph said to Jack ‘"And they keep running off, you remember the meeting? How everyone was going to work hard until the shelters were finished?" (51) The only person who would listen or work with Ralph was Simon. Unfortunately, the other boys continued to ignore Ralph's leadership throughout the novel and eventually all turned to Jack for leadership. Jack was motivated by hunting and killing. His obsession for this began when he was frustrated with himself for not killing the pig in the first chapter: ‘"He snatched his knife out of the sheath and slammed it into a tree trunk. Next time there would be no mercy" (29).There would actually be no mercy from Jack from that point on. Eventually all of the boys, except for Ralph and Piggy, turned to Jack's evil ways, even to the point of participating in the killing of Simon. Effectively, Ralph was motivated by the hope of rescue for his actions and Jack motivated by bloodlust.

Ralph and Jack begin the novel with similar beliefs, both wanting to implement rules. “I agree with Ralph. We’ve got to have rules and obey them.” But then the wanting of power from Jack comes to- Ralph

Both of the boys change a lot during their stay on the island. Ralph begins the novel as a leader and role model to the other boys. But eventually, the group gives in to savage instincts and Ralph's position

Ralph teaches us a lesson that Jack cannot. Keeping a democracy in civilization is crucial for survival. He also teaches that children need guidance and discipline. Ralph makes it clear that without the establishment of rules many problems would be caused, as shown in the novel when all the boys act out. A similarity between Jack and Ralph is that their rivalry caused society and civilization to be torn, without that the community will not function properly. Another point to compare and contrast between Jack and Ralph is their relationships between each other, and the other boys as well. From the get go Jack is by far more confident in himself and his ability to talk to others. He knows what he wants and he is not afraid to get it, even if that means being rude to others along the way. Unlike Ralph who immediately comes off as timid and uninterested when he first starts talking to Piggy and a few other boys. A similarity between Jack and Ralph is that they create a small liking to each other in the beggining, caused by agreement in sharing different roles in leadership, shown in this quote, “Jack and Ralph smiled at each other with shy liking. The rest

Ralph represents law, order, organized society and moral integrity. Throughout the novel he is constantly making common-sense rules for the boys to follow. Unlike Ralph, Jack is unkind, caring about no one but himself and how he can benefit.   Jack simply wants to hunt and have a good time.  He makes fun of Piggy, humiliating him, making him feel small and unworthy.  "You would, would you? Fatty.... and Jack smacked Piggy's head" (Golding 78). Jack is a lost boy who begins to discover the evil within him.  When he proposes to the group that he should be the new chief, they do not respond in his favor, and Jack runs away, hurt and rejected.  He swallows his hurt ego and throws all of his energy into the only thing he seems to know how to do - hunting.  He puts on face paint and hides his conscience.  This changes him into a savage, an evil, violent monster. The colorful mask allows Jack to forget everything he was taught back in England.  "The mask was a thing on its own, behind which Jack hid, liberated from shame and self-consciousness" (Golding

The boys start out civilized but lack of discipline causes them to lose civilized traits. The first time inner evil shows is during Ralph and Piggy’s first conversation. Ralph tells Piggy his name but does not care enough to ask for Piggy’s name. When Ralph realizes he should learn everybody's name, he starts with Piggy; Piggy was fine with any name “so long as they don’t call [him] by what they used to call [him] at school” (Golding 11). The fat boy revealed he used to be Piggy, but pleads that Ralph does not “tell the others” (11). During a meeting, in front of all the boys on the island, Ralph tells everyone “his real name’s piggy” (21). Ralph is not becoming a savage or being controlled by his inner evil in this example, but it shows how the boys started off civilized but had a slow descent into savagery. Piggy begs Ralph to not tell the other boys the name he was made fun of with in school. Jokingly, he tells everyone that Piggy was called Piggy knowing that Piggy will lose respect, even from the smallest of kids. While the other boys were resting, Roger was “hidden behind a great palm [tree]” watching Henry play in the sand (60).

Jack demonstrates leadership qualities at the first place when coming up with a plan of being rescued. Nonetheless, as the time passes, he begins to enjoy a sense of power. He becomes forceful, hazardous, and is willing to kill. Jack and Ralph attempt friendship even though they have extremely different personalities. Their original feelings were

“ “Shut up,” said Ralph absently. He lifted the couch. “Seems to me we ought to have a chief to decide things around here.” (Chapter 1, Page 22) Ralph immediately notices the boys need some leadership his natural choice is to help guide these boys. He, however, lacks this responsibility. He doesn't continue to command respect from the boys. Ralph grows up faster in the book due to Jack. Later Jack breaks the tribe apart with his appealingly savage ways. Jack ended up establishing a hunting tribe. Once the tribe breaks Ralph tries to bring it back together, but since he didn’t have solid leadership skills even though he might have developed some compassion. He tries to convince Jack that he is still in charge and has power over the boys. The changes Ralph undergoes, from self-centered to group centered, doesn't reflect the island as a whole. They are all too elated to abandon the trappings of society.

Ralph's character is progressively broken down throughout the novel, only to be rebuilt stronger, and more knowledgeable in the end. If it wasn't for Ralph being hunted by Jack's tribe, the island would never be engulfed in flames; the boys would never be rescued. Thus, he also serves as the key character to the resolution of the novel. The events of the story prove that in a typical society, evil may gain control on occasion, but ultimately—everything will be balanced

Jack was a very power hungry young boy.  Although he doesn't have any power at the beginning of the novel, he took every opportunity to take the position of chief and was eventually successful. Jack's dictatorial style of leadership contrasted very directly with the more democratic and passive style of Ralph.  Jack ruled with an iron fist, allowing no one to question him or his leadership. Jack represented the wanting for a single, all-powerful leader to guide the followers of society using any means he feels necessary.

The Lord of the Flies by William Golding is tale of a group of young boys who become stranded on a deserted island after their plane crashes. Intertwined in this classic novel are many themes, most that relate to the inherent evil that exists in all human beings and the malicious nature of mankind. In The Lord of the Flies, Golding shows the boys' gradual transformation from being civilized, well-mannered people to savage, ritualistic beasts.

Throughout the novel Lord of the Flies, Ralph tries his best to create a society based on survival. As time progresses, it is clear that Jack's feelings are towards living life and having fun. Jack's society eventually leads to corruption, killing innocent people, while Ralph's prevails as the boys are rescued. Ralph uses a repetition of hope towards being saved while Jack's technique with no thought clearly flounders creating savages out of the once civilized boys.

As he begins to lose his innocence he gains this insight of knowledge that was not available to him before in society. Ralph represents the struggle for order and democracy in society. He reminds the boys that they voted for him and the rules that he made. This shows Ralph

Throughout Lord of the Flies, the ideas of good versus evil and civilization versus savagery creates conflict between the boys. Readers are able to see that inside every human there is a beast, and that beast can only be released when law and order begin to fade out of the picture. Golding uses Ralph and Jack to represent good and evil in Lord of the Flies. Ralph is the main character that represents the good nature of humans, while Golding uses Jack to define the savagery and evil within. It is important that the individual brings forth the change in oneself which will result in a change in society.

Throughout the Lord of the Flies novel the idea of pure evilness is portrayed through many characters. Jack a young British choir boy, who is stranded on the island along with his friends tends to show an intense savageness like none other. He cherishes the idea to of power and command over anyone on the island. The idea of power was first brought to him when the group of stranded boys suggest that they elect a leader, this responsibility falling between one of two boys, Ralph or Jack. When the boys elect Ralph as their leader, a chain of emotion and events are set in motion to be carried out by Jack.