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Who Is The Foil In Lord Of The Flies

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C.S Lewis once said “friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art… It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival.” These words perfectly summarize the journey of William Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies. This novel is filled with young boys yearning to escape the grasp of a deserted island. In the process of survival, the group splits into two, with one group turning violent and the other remaining sane.The two main characters of this book, Ralph and Jack, have opposing perspectives causing conflict throughout the novel. By analyzing the values of the two throughout the course of the book, it becomes apparent that the morals of the duo foil.
Ralph heavily values the idea of rules, keeping composure, …show more content…

His values foil over Ralph’s, making them a disagreeable pair. Jack does not comply with all the rules that Ralph enforces and always wants nothing but to have fun. For instance, once the group splits, half of the boys stand watch, gather food, and keep the fire going, when Jack and his half come running in exclaiming that they are going to “hunt and feast and have fun” (154). This shows that Jack would rather go out on his own, separate himself from the rules, and live wild and free. He continues his remarks, testing his limits by provoking the opposing group. Moreover, Jack demonstrates that he values hunting by constantly getting excited over trapping an innocent pig. In the process of his hunting methods, he leaves his responsibilities behind, but does not care, for he “killed a pig” and “cut the pig’s throat” (72,73). One knows that he appreciates hunting over anything else because he is seen to be the happiest he has ever been on the lonely island, talking excitedly, “[dancing] a step or two”, “laughing”, and “grinning” (73). This is an excellent example of how Jack values hunting and adventure because he is portrayed as a rough, rude young man by the author throughout the entire book, but as a happy young happy boy in this particular section. This means that he was happiest whilst doing something he values and loves - hunting. Jack’s value towards freedom is also seen when he constantly dismisses Ralph’s …show more content…

This is like any war that takes place in the world we live in today, as countries, and people fight for what they believe in. They are provoked by their conflicting judgments, as each believes themselves to be right. Nonetheless, there is no right or wrong, rather it depends on one’s opinion and the perspective that is taken. Although in the novel the two characters unfortunately do not find peace and compromise, it is important to help others find

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