What Ruined Ralph and Jacks Friendship in Lord of the Flies :: essays research papers

Lord of the flies essay Q: at the start of the novel we are told: ‘Ralph and jack smiled at each other with shy liking.’ yet by the end they are mortal enemies. What happens to ruin their friendship? Ralph and jack are friends at the start of the story. They are both the oldest boys on the island and they both have a high level of admiration from the boys at the beginning. Ralph got all the boys together when he had established the conch, which straightaway got him the boys respect. However jack is the head boy at school and is the boss of the choir. Ralph is chosen by the boys as leader, even though they both wanted to be chief. Ralph was tactful enough to consider jack to a vital job, so he asks him to be leader of the hunters. this is what makes them see each other with a shy liking: they have both benefited from power and respect. However Ralph and jack have different notions as Ralph is more sensible he sets his mind on everyone surviving and then getting rescued. He constructs shelters and manages to keep a fire going. Ralph is thinking and caring for everyone. Nevertheless jack is single minded in his pursuit of the pigs. He mainly hunts and then kills a pig for food as he states he loves hunting. ‘A compulsion to track down and kill that was swallowing him up’ This is the meaning of jacks wish that he gives into to instead of doing what he was supposed to do such as help Ralph with work like the fire and shelters. ‘now the antagonism was audible’ indicates Ralph dislikes this and therefore bears a grudge as only Simon helps then goes off to a hiding place. Although Ralph and jack start to dislike things about each other they still resolve in being friends. Bewilderedly they know there’s conflict between them. jack takes his choir to hunt and leaves the fire which goes out and at that moment a ship sails by, then jack arrives back with his choir following, he proudly shows Ralph a dead sow that they killed. Ralph is furious and exhibits real despair at the passing of the ship, possibly, as he begins to feel the pressure of his overall responsibility for the boys.