Masculinity In Lord Of The Flies

Jack is belligerent for his inner desire and jealousy to be chief, from the moment the boys became stranded. This lust for power is revealed after Ralph won the majority of votes to become chief, “The freckles on Jack’s face disappeared under a blush of mortification” (Golding 23). The word mortification, in this case, has a meaning beyond embarrassment. Jack’s feeling of mortification indicates his extreme loss of respect for himself, and clearly made him feel deeply humiliated, to the maximum level where he felt stripped of who he was, a leader. When unveiling Jack’s layers, the reader can come to realize Jack’s purpose of becoming chief was not just to have complete domination, but to satisfy his vengeful jealousy he had developed in the beginning when Ralph was voted over Jack for chief. Jack’s hurt ego drove him to redeem himself and prove the boys were wrong to not choose him for chief.. When Jack stole power from Ralph, he warped into a savage and wild being, thirsty to kill and take over the

This rise to power inflates his ego and he begins to display characteristics of rash dictators, as if mimicking them. FOr example, Jack risked the livelihood of the entire island, just to avenge Ralph, “they had smoked him out and set the island on fire” (Golding ). If the boys had not been rescued when they were, they would have been unable to survive any longer, for Jack burned their food supply and shelters. Jack acting as a rash leader can possibly

Within Lord of the Flies, we see firsthand the tendency toward violence and destruction that lies within humanity, and boys in particular. Without society, they fell apart. They committed atrocities that go against every rule, every social expectation, we see in humanity. Although Lord of the Flies shows important ideas about boys’ place in society, it also allows the reader to form unrealistic views on ideas such as death, violence, and conflict.

Jack transforms from a proper, orderly schoolboy to a violent savage. The transformation does not happen immediately when Jack lands on the island, but eventually, as he discovers he loves to inhumanely hunt. One crucial moment of Jack's descent into savagery occurs when he paints his face for the first time, “He looked in astonishment, no longer at himself but at an awesome stranger.” (Golding 63). He is anonymous. He doesn’t recognize it as himself; being in a group makes some people lose touch with their personal moral beliefs, and his face is covered so that a stranger would not be able to tell if a bunch of the young boys were together they could most likely not be able to identify them because of their facepaints. That made Jack feel

Jack represents evil, violence and how people can have a dark side emerge in a period of hardship. As a former choirmaster and "head boy" at his school, he lands on the island having had control and power over others, by overpowering the choir with his bad attitude. He wants to make rules similar to Ralph but his rules are much harsher. Jack’s rules are more black and white.

In Ken Kesey’s novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, the motif of masculinity is often used as a way to gain power, or is simply power itself. It is a way to show dominance, and in many cases can deceive and distract others into doing something they otherwise wouldn’t have. Most commonly, men do and are able to use their masculinity to overpower women, and to show their superiority over them. However, in this novel that is reversed. Nurse Ratched, the head nurse, stripped all the men of their masculinity the second they stepped foot in the ward, thus, giving her all of the power.

“Maybe there is a beast… maybe it’s only us.” (Golding). This line comes from the book Lord of The Flies a book about a group of boys stranded trying to create a colony, and all of the troubles they face. A number of the troubles they actually face come from their own doing, arising because of the way that they learned to behave very “masculinely.” The boys are all trying to appear dominant and repress their emotions so they don't look weak or feminine to the other boys, much like how men in today's culture try to do. So, what would happen if boys were brought up in a more supportive and less harsh culture? Would men appear more communicative and open to their emotions, or would they stay the same? Boys and men growing and maturing in today's society should not be pressured into suppressing emotions and killing all semi-feminine parts about themselves.

Jack was willing to kill anyone who threatened him or his authority. “They’re going to hunt you tomorrow.” (page 188). Jack was also so powerful he wanted to burn the island. “He saw a shelter burst into flames and the fire flapped at his right soldier and there was a glitter of water” (page 200).

Civilization was created to contain social structure. However, in utmost circumstances, it is possible for instinct to triumph over civility. Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, is a plane evacuating a group of British schoolboys that crashes over a tropical deserted island. Once they crash on the island, they pick Ralph, the protagonist of the novel, to be their leader, and Ralph chooses Jack, the antagonist of the novel, to be the leader of the hunters, establishing somewhat of a civilization. Then when Jack comes upon a mother boar and kills it, that’s when their makeshift civilization slowly diminishes and the boys become savages. In addition, loss of social structure within a society can lead to the absolute destruction of the civilization. The author of Lord of the Flies, William Golding, uses man vs man and man vs nature conflicts to develop the theme of loss of social structure leads to savagery. Golding reveals this theme by exploring the conflicts of

Young boys are constantly told to ‘man up,’ but what does being a man actually mean? Everyone has different opinions on what a man should be like: tough, intelligent, kind, sympathetic, and many other qualities. In William Golding’s book, Lord of the Flies, the boys on the island all have different opinions on what manhood is, and their thoughts are shown through their actions. The author illustrates the characteristics he thinks defines a man, an allegory of manhood, through his characters in the book. The character Simon shows helpfulness, Jack displays toughness, and Ralph exhibits maturity.

He will use his ability to control people to the highest capability, and possess a burning desire to overtake Ralph as chief and become the leader of the boys. Jack thinks he should be chief when he arrogantly says these lines, “I ought to be chief,” “because I’m chapter chorister and head boy. I can sing C sharp.” (Chap. 1). Jack believes that he should be the leader because he is so used to having power before he and the boys landed on the island.

Captain Hook, at first glance, appears much more stereotypically masculine. He’s a pirate, a job classification society immediate attributes to males. He’s also cunning, smart, ruthless, and in charge. Violence and leadership especially are considered traditionally masculine traits. He shows no loyalty to his men, and has no problem killing children.

There are many novels that connect to different historical and social issues. Lord of the Flies by William Golding relates to World War 2, bullying, and competition. World War 2 is included as a historical event because of the time period the story takes place. Bullying and competition are used as social issues because the event occurs all around the world on a daily basis. The novel takes place in the 1950s, around the ending of the war.

Jack is selfish for breaking off and starting his own tribe. As a matter of a fact, he acts tough, but when it comes down to the most important moment, he backs off and forces others claim responsibility. His cowardness comes into the light on page 201, when “he does not step forward as the leader and Ralph does instead, proving that he is just a little boy with red hair and a pair of broken spectacles at his waist.” This explains that he is not trustworthy enough to take responsibility for anything that he does on the island. Equally important to mention, is that Jack is unfair and treats the people he does not like cruelly, which is not what a leader does.

Once these boys join Jack’s tribe, they are forced to follow his orders, committing heinous atrocities against their former friends in a desperate attempt to avoid the physical punishment Jack inflicts on those who disobey him. Jack rules his subjects through fear and intimidation, and yet lures them in by playing on hidden desires unbeknownst to them. Jack is often shown acting cruel and menacing towards the other boys, however is he also shown as being self-conscious and a bit insecure: “Boys are desperate to distract from their own helplessness and do so by projecting their fear of subjection onto an even weaker