Jack the Egomaniac in William Golding's Lord of the Flies

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Recommended: Theme of leadership in the Lord of the Flies

Having an individual take control over a group is inevitable. Adolf Hitler took over Germany; at first he was appointed as chancellor but the Germans’ let him get away with taking over as dictator (Truemen , 2013). It was out of fear that the Germans’ let him be in power. In Lord of the Flies, William Golding utilizes Jack as the most important character in the novel because of how his psychological personality affects the plot. Jack, much like Hitler, gains control by instilling fear into the others and takes over as leader. Throughout the whole book Golding continues to use Jack to twist the story. He stands in the way of the other boys’ success in getting off of the island. Jack is motivated by his id and seeks authority at all costs, illuminating that the desire for power can eventually undermine and hide the goodness in an individual.
An id is not concerned with how his decision affects others; he just wants what he wants. Jack Merridew is a prime example of a character motivated by his id. Jack was just an innocent twelve year old, was lead chorister boy and could sing a C note. Coming from an organized society, he has rules instilled in him. Life for him and the others change dramatically on the island. His innocence is lost when he stops governing his conduct. Merridew is not granted power but realizes that he can attain it by returning to his primitive behavior. “[Jack] tried to covey the compulsion to track down and kill that was swallowing him up […] we want meat” (46). At this point in the novel, he dispels his primitive behavior that hints at his lust for killing. His selfish ways as an id indicate that he wants to do what he desires. At the beginning of the story he is only concerned with his pride so his goal in the...

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... prove him to be the antagonist. While he was happily in control, the other residents of the island were seemingly affected. Initially he was all for the idea of getting off of the island and then he soon realized that his true state of happiness, was being in control and having the rush of killing his prey. His love for authority and feeling powerful caused him to feel exalted; Castle Rock was his kingdom and he flourished there. Although he never wanted to leave, he ironically was the reason why they got rescued. He tortured the boys but in the end, he accidently got them saved and the story turned on him. Jack’s desire for power turned into a monster but society stepped back in and put him back in his place.

Works Cited

(Truemen , 2013) Truemen , C. (2013). History learning site:adolf hitler. Retrieved from http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/adolf_hitler.htm

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