MORALITY AND IMMORALITY STAGES OF RALPH AND JACK IN WILLIAM GOLDING’S LORD OF THE FLIES
Jack Character Notes Lord of the flies
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Transcript of Jack Character Notes Lord of the flies
Copyright © Iestyn Tyne 2013
William Golding
LORD OF THE FLIES
Images from Lord of the Flies 1963 film.
Copyright © Iestyn Tyne 2013
JACK MERRIDEWCharacter Notes
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Jack is the head choirboy. His choir become the hunters. He is Ralph’s rival, and eventually declares himself chief of the island.
Main actions in the novel...Decides that the choir should be the huntersTakes Piggy’s glasses by force to light the fireAfter killing a pig, he organizes a dance and
ceremonial chant to celebrate its death.Disregards all the rules.Leaves when Ralph is re-elected chief.Becomes the cruel leader of a savage tribe.
OVERVIEW
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Jack evidently has complete control over the choirboys from the very start.
They all march in step - he orders them around in a military fashion.
Orders them to stop but won’t let them take off their cloaks first, even in the sweltering heat.
Used to being a leader
‘Choir! Stand still!’
Jack
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Used to being a leader Says he was head-boy at school - arrogantly assumes that
he should be chief on the island. The quotation shows that he is very immature - as if this is
enough of a reason to make him chief.
‘I can sing C-Sharp’
Jack
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Used to being a leader Jack thinks that first names are for kids - he feels he is too
important to be called by his first name alone. He is used to being called ‘Merridew’ by his choir, who fear
and respect him.
‘Kids’ names ... Why should I be
Jack? I’m Merridew.’
Jack
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Used to being a leader Piggy notices an offhand authority in Jack’s voice, as
though ordering people around and being in charge comes as second nature to him.
‘...the offhand superiority in his voice...’
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Used to being a leader Jack tries to make up new rules to suit himself all the
time - for example saying the conch ‘doesn’t count’ at his end of the island.
When the rules don’t suit him so well, he rejects them, shouting the above.
‘Bollocks to the rules!’
Jack
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Used to being a leader Jack hates Ralph being in charge and often challenges
him. He tells the tribe that Ralph can’t hunt and provide them
with food so he has no right to tell them what to do.
‘He’s not a hunter. He’d
never have got us meat. He isn’t
a prefect...’
Jack
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Naturally Violent and Aggressive Jack is vicious with his words - he is especially nasty in
the way he talks to Piggy - he says this to make the others laugh.
‘You’re talking too much ...
Shut up, Fatty!’
Jack
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Naturally Violent and Aggressive A suggestion of Jack’s aggressive character given early on
in the novel - Ralph sees something in his eyes that suggests a violent temper.
‘...turning, or ready to turn, to
anger...’
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Naturally Violent and Aggressive When Piggy criticises Jack for letting the fire out, Jack
punches Piggy, smacks him in the head, and breaks his glasses.
• Jack takes out his humiliation and anger out on the weakest member of the pack.
‘... Able at last to hit someone,
stuck his fist into Piggy’s
stomach’
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Naturally Violent and Aggressive He is proud of having slit the pig’s throat for the first
time. He shudders at the thought of the blood, and yet it excites
him - it will become easier and easier - foreshadowing.
‘I cut the pig’s throat,’
Jack‘said Jack,
proudly, and yet twitched as he
said it.’
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Naturally Violent and Aggressive Jack’s violence is open and totally deliberate. After Piggy’s horrific death, Jack shouts this, and
immediately hurls his spear straight at Ralph. He no longer cares about any morals, and his conscience is
non-existent.
‘I meant that!’
Jack
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Naturally Violent and Aggressive At the beginning, Jack likes the idea of severely punishing
anyone who breaks the rules - at Castle Rock he is able to carry this out.
We never find out why Wilfred is beaten - perhaps just to inspire awe amongst members of his tribe.
‘He’s going to beat Wilfred’
Robert
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Obsessed with Hunting Jack suggests to Ralph that they could use his choir as a
group for hunting to provide meat. Here we see he has absolutely no hesitation - he knows
exactly what he wants.
‘ - what do you want them to be?’
Ralph‘Hunters.’
Jack
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Obsessed with Hunting Jack is always the one who is stressing the importance of
hunting and providing meat for the boys. He is the one who keeps saying they could catch animals on
the island, and immediately says that the choir will be the hunters, without consulting them.
‘We want meat!’
Jack
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Obsessed with Hunting Jack spends time improving and developing his hunting
techniques while Ralph works hard building shelters. He paints his face to camouflage it and talks of developing
his spears so they work better.
‘If we could only make barbs -’
Jack
‘We need shelters.’
Ralph
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Obsessed with Hunting
‘...the compulsion to track down and
kill that was swallowing him
up.’
A ‘madness’ comes into Jack’s eyes at the thought or mention of hunting.
He tries to explain to Ralph how he feels a blood-lust, or a compulsion to kill.
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Obsessed with Hunting This is as they are about to set out and hunt the ‘beast’ -
Ralph Is reminding Jack that their goal is rescue. Hunting has become such an obsession for Jack, that he
forgets about the fire and rescue.
‘Don’t you all want to be rescued?’
Ralph
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Obsessed with Hunting He is excited at the prospect of tracking down the
beast. He sees this as a ‘real hunt’, as though all the hunting and
slaughtering of pigs has just been a game, or practice for the real thing.
‘This’ll be a real hunt!’
Jack
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Prefers Fun to Responsibilities Jack lets the fire go out while he is out hunting, even
though he volunteered the hunters’ services in keeping it alight from the beginning.
They lose the chance of rescue, yet Jack does not see the seriousness of the matter.
‘We can light up again -’
Jack
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Prefers Fun to Responsibilities While Jack claims that hunting is work for him, and that he
is doing it to provide meat for the rest of the boys, Ralph points out that he enjoys hunting, and this is the real reason.
‘But you like it!...You want to
hunt!
Ralph
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Prefers Fun to Responsibilities Castle Rock appeals to Jack as it seems to be a good fort
for playing and having fun in. He is so short sighted mentally that he doesn’t stop to
consider that there is no food or shelter for them here.
‘What a place for a fort!’
Jack
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Prefers Fun to Responsibilities The main appeal of Jack’s new tribe is that they will have
fun, feast , and hunt. They have no thought for the future and of being
rescued - everything they do is for enjoyment.
‘We hunt and feast and have
fun.’
Jack
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Doesn’t care about weaker characters Jack is sarcastic when Ralph keeps Piggy from danger. Jack
says that Ralph always favours Piggy - almost as though he is jealous.
When they go exploring, Jack bluntly tells Piggy they don’t want him with them.
‘That’s right. Keep Piggy out
of danger.’
Jack
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Doesn’t care about weaker characters Jack tells the others to leave Simon alone when he throws a
faint - shows no concern towards Simon although Simon is under his command.
He just says he’s always doing it.
‘He’s always throwing a
faint,’
Jack
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Strong sense of Pride When he fails to kill the first pig they come across, Jack is
furious with himself. His face goes white and he feels embarrassed and ashamed
that he couldn’t bring himself to do it. This makes him all the more determined to kill the next
one.
‘I was choosing a place. Next time-!’
Jack
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Strong sense of Pride Jack blushes with embarrassment when Ralph is elected
chief and leader in favour of himself. He is so used to being a leader, that this really knocks his
pride.
‘... And the freckles on Jack’s face
disappeared under a blush
of mortification.’
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Strong sense of Pride Jack holds a vote to see who doesn’t want Ralph as chief. When this fails he cries with humiliation and leaves the
other boys. His pride has suffered a blow and he cannot face the
other boys after this failure. It also shows a very childish side to his character.
‘I’m not going to play any longer. Not with you.’
Jack
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Strong sense of Pride He hates being criticised for letting the fire go out - this
makes him guilty, then angry and aggressive. He takes this out on Piggy, the weaker character - hitting
him and breaking his glasses.
‘Jack, faced at once with too many awful
implications, ducked away from them’
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Strong sense of Pride Jack triumphantly exhibits his power over his tribe
when Ralph visits. He points out how they do whatever he wants and has
complete control over them - he is in his element.
‘Give me a drink.’
Jack
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Strong sense of Pride Jack makes a big deal of not being a coward - he wants
to be seen as braver than all the others. He is often seen taunting others for being afraid. However at Castle Rock for the first time, when Ralph goes
on, Jack hangs back.
‘Jack sneered at him.’
‘Frightened?’
Jack
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Show-off By the time Jack forms his own tribe, he develops his
painted face into a fully painted body, and he is like an ‘idol’ - almost as though the members of his tribe actually worship him.
‘...painted and garlanded, sat there like an
idol.’
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Show-off Jack leads the procession of hunters back with their first
pig they have killed. They have already developed a ceremonial, tribal hunters’
chant.
‘Kill the pig. Cut her throat.
Spill her blood.’
Hunters
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Show-off Jack gets his warriors to say this when he invites the others
to his feast. It is all about impressing them and looking good.
‘The Chief has spoken’
Maurice & Robert
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Show-off Jack has an idea which makes him look all the more
awesome - to leave the pig’s head on a stick as an offering for the beast.
‘But we’ll leave part of the kill for-’
Jack
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At the end of the novel....
‘A little boy who wore the remains of an extraordinary black cap on his
red hair and who carried the remains of pair of spectacles at his
waist...’