Gilding, is a novel about some boys stranded on an island after their plane crashed during wartime. However, the novel symbolizes much more than that. It shows that when human nature is left to its own devices, it will destroy itself. Society’s function is to keep control and order. When a group of boys are stranded on an island with no other civilization, their human nature Is revealed. The more removed they become, the worse they get. Jack, In the novel, represents anarchy and savagery, and is a perfect example as to what Gilding’s mall theme represents.
The age old question of whether man Is Innately good Is answered by Gilding through his character Jack, whose dark side takes control of him when freed from the constraints of civilization. Jack’s Innocence Is prevalent In the beginning of the novel. Jack Is a tall, redheaded boy, who becomes very malicious and analysts as the story progresses. At the start of the novel, Jack is a well-respected English boy, much Like the others. At the beginning he strives to become chief, he is although well mannered and obedient.
Jack’s first attempt to kill the pig shows his true innocence. His inner evil had not mom out. “They knew very well why he hadn’t: because of the enormity of the knife descending and cutting into living flesh; because of the unbearable blood. “(Chi 2, pig 31) The killing of another living creature was too atrocious for Jack to bare at this point in his life. At the beginning of the novel, the boys were still civilized because they had not been away from society for that long of a time. Jack realized there needed to be rules created to keep order. L agree with Ralph. We’ve got to have rules and obey them. After all, we’re not savages. We’re English, and the English are best at everything. So we’ve got to do the right things. “(Chi, pig 42) Jack’s civilized form is shown when he states that they are not savages, and there needs to be order in the island. Jack’s evil nature begins to reveal itself after he paints his face in order to kill the pig. “… The mask was a thing on its own, behind which Jack hid, liberated from shame and self-consciousness.
The face of red and white and black swung through the alarm and jigged toward 4 pig 64) Once Jack painted his face, he felt that he could do anything, without feeling remorse or having any sort of conscious. His evil starts to mom out of him and he doesn’t even know It. After Jack kills the pig, he truly feels liberated, and that he can do whatever he wants. “Look! We’ve killed a pig- we stole up on them- we go In a circle-. ” (Chi 4 pig 69) Jack becomes very proud of himself after come out.
Once Jack goes foot create his own tribe In the last section of the novel, all of his wickedness Is truly shown. Jack becomes sick of Ralph as chief and decides to go off on his own and create his own tribe, where his priorities come first. “I’m going off by too. ” (Chi 8 pig 127) From then on, Jack rules on what goes, and turns all the other boys ho follow him into savages, in which their malevolence over takes them as well. The murder of Simon is the first sign that their cruelty has surfaced. “The sticks fell and the mouth of the new circle crunched and screamed.
