What Does The Fire Symbolize In Lord Of The Flies

In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, a group of innocent boys are stranded on an island after their plane crashes in the Pacific Ocean. There are no adults on the island and soon a struggle for power begins. A tall, athletic boy named Ralph is elected chief of the boys and wants to work for a common goal, rescue. In addition, Ralph selects a former choirboy named Jack head of the hunters. His views juxtapose Ralph’s because he is eager to make rules and punish those who break them; his constant desire for power causes him to evolve into an evil person. In Golding’s Lord of the Flies, Jack betrays Ralph by forming his own tribe, which causes a major divide on the island. Instead of obeying the rules of civilization and working towards a

They explain that they were too busy hunting a pig and ultimately forgot about the signal fire. The common goal of rescue is completely disregarded by Jack and his hunters as they mainly focus on hunting. When Ralph accuses Jack of not obeying their rules of society, Jack exclaims "Bollocks to the rules! We're strong - we hunt! If there's a beast, we'll hunt it down! We'll close in and beat and beat and beat-" (91). Jack’s statement begins to show the emergence of his savagery. He takes advantage of his opportunity to defy Ralph in front of the fellow boys and showcases his defiance. Eventually, Jack officially betrays Ralph by starting his own tribe. Jack says ‘I’m not going to play any longer. Not with you... I’m not going to be a part of Ralph’s lot - I’m going off by myself. He can catch his own pigs. Anyone who wants to hunt when I do can come too,’” (127). This quote shows Jack’s thirst for power and egocentric nature. He pressures the boys into joining his tribe by promising food, protection from the beast and fun. Because of his promise, all of the boys easily betray Ralph and Piggy by abandoning the tribe and joining Jack’s tribe. Gradually, Jack brainwashes all of the boys who join his tribe as they become convinced that Ralph’s customs were wrong. He has

The boys have transformed into savages, solely focused on hunting and killing. For example, when the second largest choir boy named Maurice arrives on the island, he is very innocent and affable. When he kicks over sand castles built by smaller boys, he still feels a sense of guilt “Now, though there was no parent to let fall a heavy hand, Maurice still felt the unease of wrongdoing. (60)” Over time, Jack influences Maurice and contributes to his negative transformation into an absolute savage. He disregards the idea of being rescued and focuses on survival, which is why he later helps raid Ralph’s camp. Another boy whom Jack directly and negatively affects is Roger. When he first arrives on the island, Roger is constrained from physically hurting people because of the rules and laws from their former civilized society. His restraint is showcased when he purposely throws rocks targeting a little lun named Henry “to miss”. Roger’s innate nature finally unleashes under Jack’s authority. Piggy’s death resulted from Roger’s malicious intent to kill. Without civilization's restraint, Roger is an extremely violent and malevolent person. Jack is the antagonist who ultimately causes all of the boys to rebel against Ralph. All of the innocent boys turn into savages who contribute to all of the massive chaos on the island. The formation of Jack’s tribe leads to