Main Characters

Who are the main characters in the novel? Do you like them? Why or why not? What is special about them? What do they reveal about the universal human experience?

There are a lot of characters in Lord of the Flies, but the main characters are Ralph, Jack, and Piggy. Usually, conflict arouses between Ralph and Jack as they struggle to control and lead the group of boys in the deserted island. I really like Ralph in this book, because he has a sense of leadership and tries to lead the group that will be beneficial to everyone. He has a sense of right and wrong, and tries to solve problems in an adult-like way. But Jack(antagonist), he's just obsessed with controlling everyone because he likes being in authority over people. He's cocky, and always think that he's the right one. He's the one who ends up leading the boys to savage ways, and he even tries to kill Ralph near the end of the book. I think Jack represents the savageness in human minds. Without rules or guidelines to follow, people fall apart and follow their instincts instead of their righteous and civilized minds. I think that was how Jack fell apart, because he just wanted to have fun, spill blood, and solve every conflict he faces with violence. That's why while I was reading the book, I became so frustrated with Jack. It seemed like he never learned to cooperate with other people, especially with people who had a higher status than him. Even though Ralph was trying to do the right thing, Jack would always pop up and bother his plans. While Ralph made it clear that keeping the signal fire going is crucial for everyone's rescue, Jack and his crew became so obsessed with hunting that they didn't feel the need to be responsible of the fire. While Jack and his crew were hunting, the fire died out, and a ship passed by the island. Ralph confronted them about this, but they didn't care because they were successful on their first hunt. People other than Piggy and Simon didn't care whether the ship passed that time, because they were excited at the idea of having meat.

I think Piggy is a very special character in the novel. Piggy is even more thoughtful and intelligent than Ralph is. He was the one that gave Ralph the idea of blowing the conch to gather everyone in the island for a meeting. Also, he was an advisor and closest friend Ralph had on the island. The only reason the boys didn't follow Piggy was because he was cowardly and didn't have the charisma that Ralph posessed. And another important thing about him was that his glasses were used often to create a signal fire throughout the novel.Because of these roles Piggy had in the novel, I think he represented the scientific mind/intelligence of human beings.