preview

What Is Jack's Reaction In Lord Of The Flies

Decent Essays
Open Document

In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, the reactions of Jack, Ralph, and Piggy concerning the signal fire going out when a ship passed by reveals the motives and feelings behind each of their characters. For Jack, his reaction reveals that he cares more about hunting and having fun than keeping up the fire in order to be rescued. “‘The fire’s only been out an hour or two. We can light up again…You should have seen the blood!’” (70). Jack only cares about having fun on the island and killing pigs, basically acting like a child and taking no responsibility. His reaction to the fire going out reveals about his character that he is willing to drop anything, even if it helps the safety of the group, in order to have some fun. Ralph’s reaction reveals …show more content…

Out there. You said you’d keep the fire going and you let it out…They might have seen us. We might have gone home’”(70). Ralph is angry about the fire going out, angry that the boys had the chance to go home but didn’t all because Jack and his group abandoned the fire to go hunting. Ralph’s reaction shows that he is the opposite of Jack, that he is willing to be more mature and take responsibility so that the group of boys can be saved. Piggy had the same reaction as Ralph but to a greater scale and for slightly different reasons. “This was too bitter for Piggy, who forgot his timidity in the agony of his loss. He began to cry out, shrilly: ‘You and your blood, Jack Merridew! You and your hunting! We might have gone home-‘”(70). Piggy is angry at Jack, probably angrier than Ralph, because they had the chance to go home and Jack ruined it for everyone with his bloodlust. What this reveals about Piggy’s character is that Piggy can lose his timidness when he is feeling extreme agony and anger. Piggy’s reaction shows how much he values civilization and by Jack’s selfish actions, Piggy sees it as Jack condemning the group to stay on the island. That also highlights the huge amount of selfishness that Jack had in letting the fire

Get Access