In the novel, Ralph tries to maintain order in the group. When he and Piggy happen find a conch shell, they use it to call the others, and suddenly, the shell is a form of communication, and a symbol of power. Ralph asserts "He can hold it when he's speaking", showing a sign of civility (Golding 33). When Ralph, knowing the key to escape from the island, builds a fire, Jack puts it out, breaking the rules. The society of boys becomes divided, because of the lack of interest and mutual survival. After the murder of Piggy, Ralph is left on his own and scared after a warning by Samneric, "They're going to hunt you tomorrow" (188). Though most of the other boys have become savage, Ralph's experience does not influence him.
Piggy is a fat, asthmatic boy, who nobody likes because he is always criticizing everyone's actions. Despite his asthma and obesity problem, Piggy never fails to contribute his intellectual ideas. It is Piggy's idea to have Ralph blow the conch rather than him, since he has asthma, "You try Ralph….call the others" (17). After Ralph and Piggy come back from the bathing pool, they find out that Jack hasn't been guarding the fire. Piggy lashes out at Jack, "You and your blood… and your hunting! We might have gone home" (70). This shows how frustrated Piggy is that their chance of being rescued is now gone. After the dispute, Jack breaks Piggy's spectacles, cracking a lens. When Piggy gets killed and the conch gets shattered, it shows that any humanity that the boys once had is now gone.
Jack is described as a disciplined boy. After the plane crash, a rivalry between Jack and Ralph formed. Jack tries to express that he was the better leader by saying, "I ought to be chief because I'm chapter chorister and head boy" (22). Jack then becomes envious of the bond between Piggy and Ralph. His envy grows to hatred and he begins notice Ralph's weaknesses and starts to find ways to steal his power: "Who are you anyway? Sitting there, telling people what to do…" (91). As Ralph's leadership declines, Jack's power rises; this is because boys find hunting more appealing rather than building shelters and guarding the fire. Jack's murder of the sow portrays the drastic changes in his identity, of him becoming a savage dictator. Jack's obsession of killing pigs escalates to killing humans. By the end, Jack and his tribe end up killing two other boys and Ralph becomes the fleeing prey of his ruthless tribe.
Roger is first introduced as a quiet background character that is a very reserved, and does not appear to be worried about social interaction, "He muttered that his name was Roger and was silent again."(22). Roger is a sadist who gets his pleasure from torturing others. Later in the novel, Jack's tribe goes into the forest to catch a pig, and they kill it in a very inhumane way. Roger laughs about how the final blow was delivered up her rear end. The spears that they use to hunt have become sharper and are used with more murderous intent. Roger ends up killing Piggy and attempts to kill Ralph "Roger sharpened the stick at both ends" (190).
Golding shows how sudden humans can replace their civility with savagery. Ralph and Piggy, for example, do not give in to their savage instincts, while Jack and Roger seem to hardly understand the rules of society. When rules and laws get abandoned, humans naturally revert back to their primitive nature.
I'm a freshman in HS.
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Good thoughts there, but edit it for flow and organization.
Orignal From: What grade would you give my essay?
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