William Golding’s captivating novel Lord of the Flies explores the idea of man’s desperate need for power- and the extents he will go to to attain it- through the heavy use of allegorical metaphors. As Jack Merridew’s lust for power and his intense craving for control consumes him, he flips from a power hungry yet still responsible young man who wants to “decide about being rescued” to a savage blood hungry beast who wants to hunt, kill, and keep his power. Jack’s fear of losing control of the boys drives him to make irrational decisions, further clouding his judgement and not allowing him any logical foresight; this is displayed though Golding’s extensive use of symbolic imagery. goulding conveys that the humanity and clarity of thought has left jack when he ( quote brakes piggy’s glasses). The significance in Jack breaking Piggy’s glasses is that the glasses represent intelligence and clear thought on the island, something that is symbolically reduced after the glasses are broken. This breaking of the glasses specifically at the hands of Jack helps in characterizing him as Cain, a biblical figure known for his betrayal of his own family. goulding conveys jack to have all the aspects of a military dictator. He wins the heart of his followers with promises of meat and “hunting every day”. Jack is able to become a dictator by providing the little ones with protection from the beast. Yet he does not keep his promise because when “the beast from water” comes jack orders the little ones to “ get the beast’, which reveals the true frightened side of jack.
initially goulding’s representation of jack who is portrayed to be “tall, thin, and bony” creates a rivalry between jack and ralph,