jack character notes lord of the flies

Copyright © Iestyn Tyne 2013

William Golding

LORD OF THE FLIES

Images from Lord of the Flies 1963 film.


JACK MERRIDEWCharacter Notes


Jack is the head choirboy. His choir become the hunters. He is Ralph’s rival, and eventually declares himself chief of the island.

Main actions in the novel...Decides that the choir should be the huntersTakes Piggy’s glasses by force to light the fireAfter killing a pig, he organizes a dance and

ceremonial chant to celebrate its death.Disregards all the rules.Leaves when Ralph is re-elected chief.Becomes the cruel leader of a savage tribe.

OVERVIEW


Jack evidently has complete control over the choirboys from the very start.

They all march in step - he orders them around in a military fashion.

Orders them to stop but won’t let them take off their cloaks first, even in the sweltering heat.

Used to being a leader

‘Choir! Stand still!’

Jack


Used to being a leader Says he was head-boy at school - arrogantly assumes that

he should be chief on the island. The quotation shows that he is very immature - as if this is

enough of a reason to make him chief.

‘I can sing C-Sharp’

Jack


Used to being a leader Jack thinks that first names are for kids - he feels he is too

important to be called by his first name alone. He is used to being called ‘Merridew’ by his choir, who fear

and respect him.

‘Kids’ names ... Why should I be

Jack? I’m Merridew.’

Jack


Used to being a leader Piggy notices an offhand authority in Jack’s voice, as

though ordering people around and being in charge comes as second nature to him.

‘...the offhand superiority in his voice...’


Used to being a leader Jack tries to make up new rules to suit himself all the

time - for example saying the conch ‘doesn’t count’ at his end of the island.

When the rules don’t suit him so well, he rejects them, shouting the above.

‘Bollocks to the rules!’

Jack


Used to being a leader Jack hates Ralph being in charge and often challenges

him. He tells the tribe that Ralph can’t hunt and provide them

with food so he has no right to tell them what to do.

‘He’s not a hunter. He’d

never have got us meat. He isn’t

a prefect...’

Jack


Naturally Violent and Aggressive Jack is vicious with his words - he is especially nasty in

the way he talks to Piggy - he says this to make the others laugh.

‘You’re talking too much ...

Shut up, Fatty!’

Jack


Naturally Violent and Aggressive A suggestion of Jack’s aggressive character given early on

in the novel - Ralph sees something in his eyes that suggests a violent temper.

‘...turning, or ready to turn, to

anger...’


Naturally Violent and Aggressive When Piggy criticises Jack for letting the fire out, Jack

punches Piggy, smacks him in the head, and breaks his glasses.

• Jack takes out his humiliation and anger out on the weakest member of the pack.

‘... Able at last to hit someone,

stuck his fist into Piggy’s

stomach’


Naturally Violent and Aggressive He is proud of having slit the pig’s throat for the first

time. He shudders at the thought of the blood, and yet it excites

him - it will become easier and easier - foreshadowing.

‘I cut the pig’s throat,’

Jack‘said Jack,

proudly, and yet twitched as he

said it.’


Naturally Violent and Aggressive Jack’s violence is open and totally deliberate. After Piggy’s horrific death, Jack shouts this, and

immediately hurls his spear straight at Ralph. He no longer cares about any morals, and his conscience is

non-existent.

‘I meant that!’

Jack


Naturally Violent and Aggressive At the beginning, Jack likes the idea of severely punishing

anyone who breaks the rules - at Castle Rock he is able to carry this out.

We never find out why Wilfred is beaten - perhaps just to inspire awe amongst members of his tribe.

‘He’s going to beat Wilfred’

Robert


Obsessed with Hunting Jack suggests to Ralph that they could use his choir as a

group for hunting to provide meat. Here we see he has absolutely no hesitation - he knows

exactly what he wants.

‘ - what do you want them to be?’

Ralph‘Hunters.’

Jack


Obsessed with Hunting Jack is always the one who is stressing the importance of

hunting and providing meat for the boys. He is the one who keeps saying they could catch animals on

the island, and immediately says that the choir will be the hunters, without consulting them.

‘We want meat!’

Jack


Obsessed with Hunting Jack spends time improving and developing his hunting

techniques while Ralph works hard building shelters. He paints his face to camouflage it and talks of developing

his spears so they work better.

‘If we could only make barbs -’

Jack

‘We need shelters.’

Ralph


Obsessed with Hunting

‘...the compulsion to track down and

kill that was swallowing him

up.’

A ‘madness’ comes into Jack’s eyes at the thought or mention of hunting.

He tries to explain to Ralph how he feels a blood-lust, or a compulsion to kill.


Obsessed with Hunting This is as they are about to set out and hunt the ‘beast’ -

Ralph Is reminding Jack that their goal is rescue. Hunting has become such an obsession for Jack, that he

forgets about the fire and rescue.

‘Don’t you all want to be rescued?’

Ralph


Obsessed with Hunting He is excited at the prospect of tracking down the

beast. He sees this as a ‘real hunt’, as though all the hunting and

slaughtering of pigs has just been a game, or practice for the real thing.

‘This’ll be a real hunt!’

Jack


Prefers Fun to Responsibilities Jack lets the fire go out while he is out hunting, even

though he volunteered the hunters’ services in keeping it alight from the beginning.

They lose the chance of rescue, yet Jack does not see the seriousness of the matter.

‘We can light up again -’

Jack


Prefers Fun to Responsibilities While Jack claims that hunting is work for him, and that he

is doing it to provide meat for the rest of the boys, Ralph points out that he enjoys hunting, and this is the real reason.

‘But you like it!...You want to

hunt!

Ralph


Prefers Fun to Responsibilities Castle Rock appeals to Jack as it seems to be a good fort

for playing and having fun in. He is so short sighted mentally that he doesn’t stop to

consider that there is no food or shelter for them here.

‘What a place for a fort!’

Jack


Prefers Fun to Responsibilities The main appeal of Jack’s new tribe is that they will have

fun, feast , and hunt. They have no thought for the future and of being

rescued - everything they do is for enjoyment.

‘We hunt and feast and have

fun.’

Jack


Doesn’t care about weaker characters Jack is sarcastic when Ralph keeps Piggy from danger. Jack

says that Ralph always favours Piggy - almost as though he is jealous.

When they go exploring, Jack bluntly tells Piggy they don’t want him with them.

‘That’s right. Keep Piggy out

of danger.’

Jack


Doesn’t care about weaker characters Jack tells the others to leave Simon alone when he throws a

faint - shows no concern towards Simon although Simon is under his command.

He just says he’s always doing it.

‘He’s always throwing a

faint,’

Jack


Strong sense of Pride When he fails to kill the first pig they come across, Jack is

furious with himself. His face goes white and he feels embarrassed and ashamed

that he couldn’t bring himself to do it. This makes him all the more determined to kill the next

one.

‘I was choosing a place. Next time-!’

Jack


Strong sense of Pride Jack blushes with embarrassment when Ralph is elected

chief and leader in favour of himself. He is so used to being a leader, that this really knocks his

pride.

‘... And the freckles on Jack’s face

disappeared under a blush

of mortification.’


Strong sense of Pride Jack holds a vote to see who doesn’t want Ralph as chief. When this fails he cries with humiliation and leaves the

other boys. His pride has suffered a blow and he cannot face the

other boys after this failure. It also shows a very childish side to his character.

‘I’m not going to play any longer. Not with you.’

Jack


Strong sense of Pride He hates being criticised for letting the fire go out - this

makes him guilty, then angry and aggressive. He takes this out on Piggy, the weaker character - hitting

him and breaking his glasses.

‘Jack, faced at once with too many awful

implications, ducked away from them’


Strong sense of Pride Jack triumphantly exhibits his power over his tribe

when Ralph visits. He points out how they do whatever he wants and has

complete control over them - he is in his element.

‘Give me a drink.’

Jack


Strong sense of Pride Jack makes a big deal of not being a coward - he wants

to be seen as braver than all the others. He is often seen taunting others for being afraid. However at Castle Rock for the first time, when Ralph goes

on, Jack hangs back.

‘Jack sneered at him.’

‘Frightened?’

Jack


Show-off By the time Jack forms his own tribe, he develops his

painted face into a fully painted body, and he is like an ‘idol’ - almost as though the members of his tribe actually worship him.

‘...painted and garlanded, sat there like an

idol.’


Show-off Jack leads the procession of hunters back with their first

pig they have killed. They have already developed a ceremonial, tribal hunters’

chant.

‘Kill the pig. Cut her throat.

Spill her blood.’

Hunters


Show-off Jack gets his warriors to say this when he invites the others

to his feast. It is all about impressing them and looking good.

‘The Chief has spoken’

Maurice & Robert


Show-off Jack has an idea which makes him look all the more

awesome - to leave the pig’s head on a stick as an offering for the beast.

‘But we’ll leave part of the kill for-’

Jack


At the end of the novel....

‘A little boy who wore the remains of an extraordinary black cap on his

red hair and who carried the remains of pair of spectacles at his

waist...’

jack character notes lord of the flies

Education

jack shouts

saidjack jack

jack punchespiggy

jack hates ralph

beast ralph isreminding

novel ralph

jacks voice

jacks eyes