William Golding's Lord Of The Flies

Lord of the Flies is a thought-provoking novel about a group of English school boys who are stranded on a desert island. The book follows the striking change from civilisation to savagery, to illustrate the need for law and order in a society. Without this, the malicious nature of humanity can be revealed and the morality and values of life will be lost.
Symbolism and imagery play an important role in the novel and through this, many themes are revealed. Throughout the book, the different characters and their roles are portrayed by a strong contrast in writing style and language chosen to describe them and their actions. A good example of this is Jack, described in the forest at the beginning of Chapter three, and Simon, described also in
Jack is said to be, "dog-like, uncomfortable on all fours yet unheeding his discomfort". He closes his eyes and raises his head, breathing in "gently with flared nostrils, assessing the current of warm air for information." I believe that Golding is trying to create an image of a character which is ruled by instinct and brutality. Jack is learning to hunt similar to an animal through relying on his senses of smell, sight, sound and movement. He sniffs at the warm, steamy pig droppings, hoping to gain a clue to the whereabouts of his prey. Jack is in fact dismissing his human inclinations and becoming more barbarian. Any form of civilisation which is left in his character is being discarded and Jack is becoming a savage. Later in the novel, in Chapter four, we see Jack putting on a mask to enable him to reveal his true personality. The island allows him to break free from civilisation as there is nothing holding him back any longer. The savage traits within Jack's personality which are shown when he is in the forest are taking over his soul, and when Jack puts on his mask, he feels as though he is given a new identity. He is no longer the Jack Merridew, the lead choir boy, but a barbarian hunter. When Jack is in the forest he does not think of his prey as a living creature. It is merely described as, "the promise of meat".
Similar to Jack's previous hunting session at the end of Chapter one, Jack fails to kill his prey when he is in the forest. However, this simply serves to fuel his determination. When we learn about Jack advancing on his victim, the language suggests that it is not just the pig being hunted. There is a feeling that something is preying on Jack, though we do not learn what it