Briant Gerould
November 11, 1998
Mrs. Laughrea
English 10
A Decent Towards Savagery
The events and developments presented during the passage in chapter three of William Golding’s Lord of the Flies signified the de-evolution of society and man on the island. During the hunt, Jack was becoming more and more animal like as time passed by. There were still traces of the human known as Jack, as the human side would assume control at infrequent times. The author was describing the forest, as most of the story would take place there. During chapter three, William Golding prepares the reader for the acts of savagery that were to occur later in the book.
Hunting has been the art perfected since the beginning of life on earth by every successful animal. Being predator or the hunted was the way of living until the dawn of civilization. Jack was beginning to relive this lifestyle in this passage, “Then dog-like, uncomfortably on all fours yet unheeding his discomfort, he stole forward five yards and stopped.” (Golding 48) Jack, while hunting, has dropped to all four legs similar to that of a dog or any other animal. This symbolizes Jack’s de-evolution into a savage. By acting like an animal, Jack is becoming one himself. Jack was also beginning to use other senses besides his sight; “He closed his eyes, raised his head and breathed in gently with flared nostrils, assessing the current of warm air for information.” (Golding 48) Humans use their sense of sight more than any other, but Jack was making the transition to animal like senses. The sense of smell in particular is one that animals use prevalently and Jack would use this sense to find information on the whereabouts of pig that he was hunting. While Jack was using animal-like techniques to hunt, it was also bringing out the savage inside himself.
The Essay on Animal Senses vs Human Senses
Through research I discovered that there are animals that have senses that by far exceed our five human senses. One of the animals would be the bat that we spoke about in class. Bats avoid obstacles and nab insects on the wing by emitting ultrasonic squeaks and interpreting the echo the sound waves make after bouncing off objects in the environment. This is called “echolocation,” but ...
Even though Jack was becoming more and more like an animal, there still were traces of human mind influencing him. When examining the pig droppings, Jack uses some logic in order to tell which way the pig went; “The droppings were warm. They lay piled among turned earth. They were olive green, smooth, and they steamed a little.” (Golding 49) The pig droppings were “fresh which meant that the pig was nearby. Jack was using a hunting practice used by hunters to find their prey. Jack was still acting with some human logic and not just instinct. After the hunt, Jack could see civilization again, “Beyond these was the glitter of the sea and he could hear voices.” (Golding 49) Jack could see outside of the hunt an interact with other people. While he was hunting, Jack was in his own world with nothing to distract him and no one to interact with. Despite all of the changes that Jack was going through, he still had a hint of humanity left in him.
William Golding was describing the forest in so much detail because the bulk of the story would take place in this setting. The word “creeper” was often used to describe a jumble of branches and bushes found in the forest, “The tree trunks and the creepers that festooned them lost themselves in a green dusk thirty feet above him, and all about was the undergrowth.” (Golding 48) The author finds it important to describe in detail, the environment, in order to make it feel more life-like and to bring the reader into the story. Creeper is generally referred to anything in the forest that dangerous or a bunch of plant growth. William Golding also likes to describe the characters in detail, “His sandy hair, considerably longer than it had been when they dropped, was lighter now; and his bare back was a mass of dark freckles and peeling sunburn.” (Golding 48) He feels the need to go into great detail with the characters in order to make them appear to be real so the reader can relate to them easier. Jack’s hair being longer signifies the length of time the children have been on the island and the changes that they have been though. The amount of detail the author goes into gives us an insight into what the characters are really going though and what going on around them.
The Essay on Differences Between Jack And Ralph Represented Through Their Actions As Chief
Differences between Jack and Ralph represented through their actions as chief Jack and Ralph are two exceedingly different characters. Jack is the id, the type of personality that acts on impulse in order to receive immediate gratification. Ralph is the ego, a decision maker. Jack is power hungry and harbors a deadly need to control all around him, but Ralph considers himself another one of the ...
Chapter three is one of the most descriptive and important chapters in The Lord of the Flies. It shows the beginning of the movement towards savagery and the loss of order. The little left of what Jack used to be is also expressed in this chapter. The detail presented during the chapter prepares the reader for the environment and the character later in the book. In all, chapter three is signifies the point of no return where order is lost and only the strong survive.