Preview

The Theme of Conflict in the First Six Chapters in Lord of the Flies

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
484 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Theme of Conflict in the First Six Chapters in Lord of the Flies
In a Novel You Have Read Recently, Discuss The Relationship Between Two Characters Who Are In Conflict With Each Other
The novel, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, is the book I have read recently. At the beginning Ralph and Jack like each other, but Jack’s aggressive and domineering nature makes him unable to accept Ralph’s leadership. Ralph is unable to understand Jack’s obsession with hunting and is furious with him when he lets the fire go out. Ralph is horrified by Jacks increasing savagery and is baffled and frustrated by the way he doesn’t care about the fire and rescue. He ends up screaming at Jack that he is “a beast and a swine”.
When everybody meets each other for the first time they have a vote on who will be the leader. Ralph was chosen and I think when Jack realised he hadn’t been picked he changed into a different person, wanting to rule everyone on the island. I think that there only can be one leader as with any more it will be impossible for them to get along and agree with each other. Especially if the two are not very similar like Jack and Ralph. It’s almost like my mum and dad, as I think my mum has more control over me when really they should be the same.
At the beginning Jack says that they should have rules and if anyone breaks them they will be punished. Later on in the book he is contradictory because he doesn’t obey the rules, “bollocks to the rules”. This civilisation verses savage causes many problems between Jack and Ralph. They both want fire but for different reasons. Ralph wants it for rescue and the one thing that Jack cares about is for cooking the meat. On the other hand it was ironic that the officer came to the island because of Jack, as he set the island on fire.
Ralphs view of Piggy changes. At first, Ralph doesn’t take him seriously and makes fun of him like the others, but he gradually comes to realise Piggys’ good qualities. When Jack realises Ralph is friends with Piggy the conflict between them increases and

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The Lord of the Flies was a very interesting book. It was about these kids stuck on a island. The first boys to be on the island were Piggy and Ralph. They were just walking and talking about who they were and were they were. As they were walking Piggy found a shell. He was very happy to have found that shell he sounded it and told Ralph that they could use that to bring up others boys to where they were. When they were sounding it a lot of boys came out of the trees and came towards Ralph and Piggy and sat on the rocks. Ralph grabbed the shell out of Ralph’s hand and sounded it and then a group of boys where the last ones to come out. He asked where was the one that made that noise. Ralph and Jack both went towards him. The boy thought that…

    • 892 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ralph is tactful and diplomatic when dealing with the boys. Despite knowing the Piggy would not be much of a help but rather a liability on the expedition to determine whether the island was truly an island, he does not say so. Instead, he tells Piggy gently that he is “no good on a job like this”, without directly saying that Piggy would hold them back on this expedition with his physical disadvantages. This is contrasted with Jack’s tactless remarks to Piggy with regards to the same incident. Jack says bluntly that they “don’t want you [him]” and that “three’s enough”. His rudeness caused Piggy to feel hurt and embarrassed especially since this was in front of all the boys, as seen when his “glasses flashed”, an indication of his feelings. Ralph is a better person than Jack as he knows how to handle matters with diplomacy and tact while Jack is tactless and hurts others with his bluntness. The contrast between the two boys’ handling of Piggy’s desire to join them on the expedition is especially telling of their character and as a result, who is a better person.…

    • 755 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The relationship between Ralph in Piggy is somewhat complicated. At first Piggy is very eager to see that another boy beside himself has survived the plane crash. Piggy is very enthusiastic to introduce himself and get to know Ralph. In fact he is too enthused. This introduction partially alienates Piggy. However Ralph notices that Piggy is a competent individual and may be of value.…

    • 794 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    This is evident when Jack leaves the group to make his own tribe where they hunt and torture people. For example, Golding states “His tone conveyed a warning, given out of the pride of ownership, and the boys ate faster while there was still time” (Golding 149). In the quote it says that Jack finally got his own group which is all he wanted to the whole time. In the group Jack acts like a dictator and is very mean. As a result, the groups split up and now Jack is going to enforce his rules and ideas over the rival Ralph and his controlled and civilized society. This affects everyone on the island as a whole because they are now going to compete for power causing lots of problems and competition. Competition for space on the island, food, and for people in their group are seen between Ralph and Jack now that they split up. Jack was able to recruit many people to his group because of the food he provided which was much needed meat for lots of kids. Other than Jack becoming a true hunter and competing for power with Ralph there is another factor that became evident due to the lack of society on the…

    • 759 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In The Lord of the Flies by William Golding, Golding emphasizes the conflict between two opposite impulses that are inside every one of us: whether to follow the rules and be in order, or to go into violence and turn into savages. Golding expresses this by using the protagonist and antagonist of the story, Ralph and Jack.…

    • 645 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Now that Jack has gained power Ralph is feeling helpless. Ralph has now realized how uncivilized him and the other boys are which causes him to feel powerless and unsure. Ralph is terrified of what the island is now becoming.…

    • 334 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    How can two polar opposites survive on a deserted island together? It would be possible although it would be a tough task. The opposites would need to cooperate, and they need to have one strong leader. This group of people in the book Lord of the Flies have gotten stranded on a deserted island in the middle of nowhere and they must find a way to survive. In the book Lord of the Flies, Jack and Ralph are two opposites on the spectrum. These two people have gotten stranded on a deserted island in the middle of nowhere and they must find a way to survive. They both aspire to be a leader which is one of the things they have in common. Although they share some small similarities, they have numerous differences. These differences include the way that they lead their tribe and their civilization. Throughout Lord of the Flies, Jack and Ralph exhibit many differences in their ways of leadership, the main focus and the people they chose in their inner circle.…

    • 731 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Lord of the Flies

    • 1696 Words
    • 7 Pages

    4. The conversation between Ralph and Piggy shows that Ralph is carefree and a little immature for his age. From the dialog in the story it is implied that Piggy lived a sheltered life and is cautious.…

    • 1696 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the beginning of the novel, Ralph is confident that he and the boys will be rescued by his dad, but Piggy tells him that no one knows they are there, which makes Ralph feel unsure. Ralph is just like the other boys on the island, but he begins to change as the story progresses. Throughout the novel, as the theme turns from civilized to savage, the events Ralph experiences slowly change him emotionally, physically, and psychologically.…

    • 577 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    pag.). The group of people had boarded a plane to attempt to evacuate, but while they were flying in their plane crashed and landed on a deserted island (Knowledge n.pag). The only survivors of the crash were children and they had to survive on the island alone (Knowledge n. pag). They elected the character Ralph as the leader of the group and the character Jack Merridew as the leader of the hunting party, which was made up of his choir group (Knowledge n. pag). Both Ralph and Jack want to be leaders of the island, but because they each have different ideas of what is priority, they have a hard time working together without starting an argument (Knowledge n. pag). Ralph devotes all of his attention to making sure their signal fire stayed lit so they could be saved, while Jack was devoted to hunting and making sure the group had food (Knowledge n. pag). After getting in several arguments, the two groups split up so that they both could focus on doing what they wanted to do (Knowledge n. pag). This caused both groups to have conflict and start a war (Knowledge n. pag). They began to lose sight of their humane side and embraced their savage side (Knowledge n. pag). All of these events are described in great detail by the Marxist…

    • 905 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Jack Vs Ralph

    • 748 Words
    • 3 Pages

    With no near site of rescue, an absence of maturity, and a craving for blood, a civilization will decline at a rapid pace. In the Lord of the Flies it does not take much for the boys’ civilization to crash and burn. This can be concerning, as it shows how rapidly a human can become wild when in a survival mentality. Humans crave power to the extent that it can make people do anything to get it. Jack and Ralph each were turned to power hungry tyrants at the slightest taste of it of its infamous glory .…

    • 748 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ralph takes on the role as the adult on the island as there is none. He constantly thinks of survival, having fire, and building shelter because he is concerned about everyone's safety, “Been working for days now. And look!” (50). He’s been working on the shelters with the other boys, but then soon tire and leave him with Simon to finish the shelter. He tries to make sure a fire is always burning, constantly thinking ahead for warmth, cooking food and the possibility of rescue. Jack is a problem, he is becoming more and more barbaric, never thinking things through or supporting others, selfish and unworthy for chief, “He isn’t a proper chief” (126). Ralph would like for everyone on the island to be in one tribe so they can all help each other using all of their strengths, some are better at building shelter, others are better at hunting. Jack does not agree and resists that idea, stealing their food and making their lives even more difficult. Jack is making Ralph’s life unbearable, but Ralph perseveres to be a leader on the…

    • 760 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The role of a leader is challenging task to take on, especially when you're a young boy. As proven in the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, in order to be an effective leader, you have to have no moral character. Being a leader without moral character leads to more effective ruling, because your followers will obey you more than a ruler with moral character, who tends to be more lenient with their style of ruling. The challenge was taken by originally taken on by Ralph, who with moral character, tried to keep the island in order, and Jack, who without moral character, ruled more efficiently and had more people listen to his orders. Being a leader without moral character, such as Jack, is more effective than being a leader with moral…

    • 1417 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Their transition from friends to enemies takes place between them as they interact while stranded on a deserted island. In the beginning of the novel, Jack and Ralph agree that they “ought to have a chief to decide things” on the island (22). Jack, a leader with experience, speaks with arrogance that he “ought to be chief” (22). However, after the group of boys vote on a leader, it is decided that Ralph is the chief and he has the power on the island. The power can be symbolized by the conch and because Ralph has the conch and can play it, he has the ultimate power.…

    • 2471 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the beginning, both Ralph and Jack are puerile. However the main difference between Ralph and Jack is that Ralph is a dynamic character, who matures as the story progresses, and Jack is a static character, who remains naive for the entirety of the novel. An example of Ralph’s immaturity, “‘He’s not fatty,’ cried Ralph, “his real name’s Piggy!” (Golding 21). After Piggy begged Ralph not to tell anyone that he used to be called Piggy, Ralph tells everyone that Piggy is his real name. As the story proceeds, Ralph starts to defend Piggy, “Ralph made a step forward” (Golding 71) and “That was a dirty trick,” (Golding 72). These quotes depicts Ralph standing up for Piggy after Jack punched Piggy for berating him about letting the fire cease. “‘He’s…

    • 1649 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics