Jack Merridew

Initial Impression of Jack.
1. Wants to be called "Merridew"-hidden identity, suggests a sense of violence already.
2. "Choir! Stand Still!"- a controlling and dominant leader.
3. Desperation to be leader of the boys and immediate negativity towards Ralph when he is voted chief.
4. Physical appearance is unattractive- "His face was crumpled and freckled, and ugly without silliness."
  1. CONTRASTS Ralph as he is described by "there was a stillness about Ralph as he sat that marked him out, there was his size and attractive appearance and "there was a mildness about his mouth and eyes that proclaimed no devil."
5. The boys approach to Ralph as chief suggests that the boys do not like Jack as leader, but knows what he is capable of so go along with what he demands.
  1. "the weight of Ralph's new authority brought lights." and happines
6. Strong, natural leader and dictator to the other boys.
  1. "Ralph-I'll split up the choir-my hunters, that is."
    1. Shows first signs of savagery.
  2. "The body who controlled {the choir}"
7. Also initially appears to be a logical thinker.
  1. "Ralph's right, we've got to have rules and obey them. After all, we're not savages."
8. "Vaulted on the platform with his cloak flying"
  1. This gives the reader the impression that Jack is someone confident and powerful.
    1. This could imply that the character can have two contrasting sides to him, which foreshadows his later descent into violence and savagery.
  2. How Jack appears here contrasts how he is later described as he is then described to be "tall, thin and bony"-portraying him as being physically weak.
Violence in action
1. After initially exploring the island, Simon, Jack and Ralph come across a pig.
  1. Jack attempt to kill the pig, however, "they all understood what an enormity the downward stroke would be.." This shows that Jack cannot overcome the natural human instincts.
  2. As the novel progresses, Jack manages to kill a pig. But, this pig was a sow (mother pig) which they were chasing and attempting to kill for an hour, showing a strong sign of violence.
    1. Even though he did this, "he shuddered at the sight of blood on his hands" this highlights once again that human nature and the good in this nature cannot be avoided and the most violent of people can regret their savage actions.
  3. Results in him being "white under his freckles"-implying he is embarrassed yet scared of what could've happened
2. Piggy and Simon's death.
  1. "There were no words, and no movements but the tearing of teeth and claws."
  2. "Delirious abandonment."
  3. "Kill the beast! Cut his throat, spill his blood!"-chanting.
3. Hunting of Ralph.
  1. "They had smoked him out and set the island on fire."
4. Chanting throughout the novel suggests violent an dominant nature..
5. Violence towards Piggy- glasses, bullying "Piggy...drove Jack to violence" "If you give up...what'ud happen to me."
Descent into savagery and dictatorship.
1. In Lord of the Flies, Jack is the key character that symbolises dictatorship.
  1. "the conch was forgotten", this symbolises a loss of democracy within the group. It is made clear that the reason for this was because "everyone followed Jack."
  2. This links to Jack telling the group "we don't need the conch anymore. We know who ought to say things." This suggests that Jack sees himself as superior to the majority of the boys on the island.
  3. Insists that people call him "chief". This may suggest that Jack needs people to reinforce his superiority, suggesting he is not confident in his role or himself implying he is conscious of Ralph and his strong sense of dictatorship.
    1. CONTRASTS Ralph as he insists people call him by his name. This shows that Jack wants people to know he is an authoritative figure.
2. Jack is the one that first suggests that the choir should be hunters "Ralph-I'll split up the choir-my hunters that is."
3. Jack insists at the beginning that the boys call him "Merridew" and he is also the one who suggests the tribe shouls smother themselves with mud and pigs blood, like war paint. Both of these suggest a loss of identity and start the boys slow descent into savagery.
4. Has always been a natural leader as he has always been the leader of the choir.
Relationships with other boys.
1. Has always been violent towards Piggy and always considered him as an outsider as it becomes clear "Piggy... drove Jack to violence" when he "stuck his fists into Piggy's stomach".Piggy is always met with violence when he speaks out against Jack. This amy suggest that Jack doesn't consider Piggy's qualities
2. Grudge against Ralph
3. Relationship with Roger- both close yet are both violent and Roger is Jack's 'second in command.' This may suggest that Jack is not mentally strong enough so needs Roger to reinforce his role.

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Jack Merridew

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