Jack Character Analysis in Lord of the Flies

The character Jack, in Lord of the Flies, embodies many things. Violence, anger, obsession, death, ruthlessness, and maliciousness, but the best word that suits Jack would be a dictator. Throughout the entirety of the book, he tries to gain power and turn the group into what he wants instead of what’s best for the group as a whole. Moreover, the strategies and ways that he gained power were very similar to the world leaders during the publication of the book. 

In chapter ten, Jack instills fear inside of everyone in the group by punishing random people. Piggy and Ralph walk up to Castle Rock, where Roger tells them that Jack was going to beat Wilfred without telling them why: “‘He's going to beat Wilfred.’…Robert shook his head doubtfully. ‘I don't know. He didn't say. He got angry and made us tie Wilfred up. He's been’ --he giggled excitedly-- ‘he's been tied for hours, waiting--’…I’ve never heard from him.” (Golding) The tactics that Jack used were very reminiscent of the cold war. Jack was beating people up for no reason, inserting fear within the rest of the group that they might be beaten as well, just like what governments did during the time Lord of the Flies was written. Furthermore, by not explaining his actions, there is a sense of mystery left behind by Jack, creating rumors and suspicion of why Wilfred is being beaten. This, in turn, causes the boys to shape up and make sure that they listen to Jack. 

Another key point is in chapter nine, Jack gives Piggy and Ralph meat, offering them a chance to join their group, but they decline. By ordering a drink from the other boys, he shows how he is fully in control of the rest of the group. “Jack spoke /  ‘Give me a drink.’ / Henry brought him a shell and he drank, watching Piggy and Ralph over the jagged rim. Power lay in the brown swell of his forearms: authority sat on his shoulder and chattered in his ear like an ape.” By putting himself on a throne, Jack establishes that he is the one in power, like a dictator. Also like a dictator, he can call upon Henry and he will fetch him a drink, no questions asked. Even Ralph sees this, thinking that, “authority sat on his shoulder and chattered in his ear like an ape”. This shows how no one else in the group has a say except for Jack. The word chattered means to talk rapidly and incessantly. By saying that the authority chattered next to Jack’s ear instead of just talking, it shows how the authority that Jack has runs rampant. 

In addition, it is important to have someone with the same characteristics as Jack in the book to drive forward the plot and be able to make the difference between good and evil much more drastic. By going full-on and making Jack a dictator, William Golding reveals how Ralph and Jack are like day and night. In chapter 1, Jack believes that he should be chief without any questions, saying: “‘I ought to be chief,’ said Jack with simple arrogance, ‘because I’m chapter chorister and head boy. I can sing C sharp.’” After Ralph asked to have a vote for chief, Jack began to argue: “Jack started to protest but the clamor changed from the general wish for a chief to an election by acclaim of Ralph himself.” The word protest means, declare (something) firmly and emphatically in the face of stated or implied doubt or in response to an accusation. Rather than just saying that Jack argued against Ralph being chief, he protested, showing his arrogance and how he thinks that he believes that he should be chief no matter what. Ralph can be seen as the embodiment of democracy because he strives for meetings and elections, while Jack represents dictatorships, having all the power at one source and thinking that he should be chief without any prior knowledge of anyone else. This further demonstrates why Jack is such a vital character and how making Jack arrogant makes Ralph seem a lot more reasonable and fair. 

Most would agree that the word that defines Jack the best as a character would-be dictator. He is in full control, uses violence to keep himself in power, and gives whatever his key pieces of power want, like giving Roger the ability to beat kids. It is crucial to have a character like him to compare two sides of the scale. Ralph being the fair and kind one, while Jack is the violent and dominant leader. Through the book, Jack gains more and more power until his decisions are the only ones that matter.