Jack in Lord of the flies

• Jack


  • Savage right from the start
  • Cruel bully who picks on weaker ones
  • Gradually turns into a real savage with no sense of justice or what is right
• Jack


  • Rule-breaker - ignores rules or makes up new ones to suit his purpose
  • Expects others to stick to rules but does not see the need to do so himself
  • Tyrant - when Rolph is elected leader, Jack is not happy and spends rest of novel trying to win back power
  • Forms a separate group and rules them with terror and fear
  • Vicious dictator in the end
• Jack's behaviour


  • Began to dance and his laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling
  • Capered toward Bill, with the mask a thing on its own, behind which Jack hid, liberated from shame and self-consciousness
• Ralph says "The rules! You're breaking the rules!"


  Jack responds "Who cares?"
• Jack


  • Connected to words 'power' and 'authority'
  • Tells the boys abruptly what to do and they do it without question
  • His mask and spear are symbols of his power
• Jack has red hair and freckles and is tall, thin and bony
• When Jack first appears he is already in a position of authority as he is the Head Boy of his school and lead chorister
• Jack is annoyed when Ralph is elected leader above him
• Jack is clearly used to getting his own way and is a bully - he uses verbal and physical violence when necessary
• Jack has a knife with him which he produces in one of the first conversations with Ralph
• Although Jack hesitates to kill the first pig they come across, it is not long before he is able to do so at which point other boys start to follow his ways
• Jack eventually forms a breakaway group of his own and swiftly becomes a violent dictator
• By the end of the novel, Jack is ordering the torture of other boys and even tries to organise the murder of Ralph
• Jack is an unlikeable character, motivated by evil and whose bad traits only get worse as the story progresses
• “I can sing C sharp“


  demonstration of superiority arrogance, and social class
• “Jack seized the conch“


  illustrates Jack seizing power and authority by force
• “Following Jack “


  Foreshadowing later events with Jacks rise to power.
• “We’re English; and the English are best at everything“


  Implies British imperial power (upper/middle class and imperial values)
• “Then dog-like…”


  Zoomorphism highlighting Jacks animalism and savagery
• “He was naked”

  Jack is stripped back to his primitive form
• “A hiss of indrawn breath;”


  Liken this to the Book of Genesis (temptation)
• “Ape like among the tangle of trees”


  “Ape like”- Regression/Devolution, troglodytic and uncivilised
• “He did not notice Jack even when he saw him”


  Unrecognisable to his previous self more savage and animalistic and cruel
• “We want meat”


  “We” simple declarative highlights Id/power and lust for power.
• “We want meat-“


  Collective pronoun ”We” insinuates Jacks impulse to include the others.
• “The opaque, mad look…”


  Hypnotic lust to kill, savage and cruel
• “His laughter became and bloodthirsty snarling..”


  Disguising his true intentions (evil) ”Snarling” zoomorphic (savagery)
• “The face of red and white and black”


  Nazi flag (dictatorship)
• “He noticed blood on his hands and grimaced distastefully“ 


  The Id is caught up to morality
• “Laughing and shuddering”


  Addicted but is starting to come down from the high
• “Taken away its life like a long satisfying drink”


  Simile elucidates the pure pleasure and enjoyment of savagery
• “Stuck his fist into Piggy’s stomach“


  Jack preys on Piggy (considered as weak)
• “His voice was vicious with humiliation“


  Jack wants to psychologically break down Piggy
• “You‘re a lot of crybabies and sissies“


  Chastising the boys as being weak
• “and you shut up! Who are you anyway? 


  direct challenge to Ralph’s authority and leadership (Publicly)
• ”and beat and beat and beat”


  Repetition accentuates Jacks lust for power, control, and domination
• “Sucks to the littluns“


  demonstrating a lack of care (Jack decending into savagery)
• “We don’t need the conch anymore”


  Rejection of authority and democracy
• ”it’s time some people knew they’ve got to keep quiet and leave deciding things to the rest of us-“


  Ambiguous Quantifier highlights his tyrannical and Machiavellian(means self absorbed and self indulgent) behaviour
• “Remained standing“

  implies mutiny and defiance