Heroic and Sick (Lord of the Flies Essay Example)

American author Sherrilyn Kenyon once said, “All of us have darkness inside us, and at times it possesses and seduces us in ways we never thought possible.” This belief is demonstrated in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, where a group of boys crash land their plane on an island. These boys then attempt to cooperate and create a mock society until they are rescued, however, due to their circumstances, the darkness inside these boys takes over and possesses them to do things they never imagined themselves capable of doing. Throughout the novel, multiple characters decide to step up and take on leadership roles in the mock society they created, the most prominent of these characters being Ralph and Jack. Golding uses these two characters as a representation of how a person can be considered both heroic and sick at the same time. 

At the beginning of the novel, Ralph and Piggy are the first characters to be introduced and Ralph immediately takes initiative. He finds a conch shell on the beach which he blows as a way of calling the others to congregate. When the boys come together, they decide it would be smart to elect a leader in a democratic way, and they elect Ralph, though “None of the boys could have found good reason for this; what intelligence had been shown was traceable to Piggy, while the most obvious leader was Jack. But there was a stillness about Ralph as he sat that marked him out: there was his size, and attractive appearance; and most obscurely, yet most powerfully, there was the conch” (Golding 22).  They elect Ralph due to his coolness and quick thinking under pressure. This draws the others in because it shows them that even though he is not smart like Piggy, or strong and aggressive like Jack, he still has the upper hand over everyone because of his alertness over the situation. When Ralph is elected, everyone is expecting him to remain this way throughout their time on the island, but, inevitably, he shows that he can not remain calm and think rationally when under pressure. 

In chapter four of the novel, a ship comes near the island and Ralph and Piggy hope that it will see their signal fire, however, they are strongly mistaken. Jack went off to go hunting and let the fire die out. Everyone is furious, but especially Ralph who “...reached inside himself for the worst word he knew. “They let the bloody fire go out” (Golding 68). This sentence would have been said in sheer anger, and it was said in front of the other boys. Ralph shows a momentary lapse of control and demonstrates an inability to sustain the traits that got him elected chief in the first place. Ralph often shows that he can be a great leader and protect the children but he is also quick to lose his cool and momentarily fail in his leadership position. 

Another instance of Ralph’s failed leadership shows in chapter seven. Ralph, Jack, Simon, and a few other boys go off hunting for a pig. Ralph throws his spear and hits the pig’s snout. He is extremely proud of this accomplishment and begins bragging about it, looking for validation. One of the boys, Robert, decides to pretend to be the pig, and the boys circle him, jabbing at him as if he is their prey. Most of the boys keep it fun, however, “Ralph, carried away by a sudden thick excitement, grabbed Eric’s spear and jabbed at Robert with it” (Golding 164). Ralph again shows a momentary lapse in leadership, but, this time, it is out of excitement and not anger. He finds a sudden sense of power in hurting Robert and continues to do it, even though Robert tells him to stop. Ralph shows both heroic tendencies, and sick tendencies. His heroic tendencies create the place for him to be a great leader, and his sick tendencies inevitably lead to the group doubting his leadership. 

Additionally, Jack can be both heroic and sick as well. In chapter two, Ralph told the boys that they should have signal fire in case someone stumbles upon the island, and Jack follows this by saying: “‘I 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’” (Golding 59). By agreeing with Ralph, Jack shows cooperation and assertiveness. Cooperating with Ralph at that moment shows a positive trait that should be seen in leaders. Jack is upset with Ralph as he desperately wants to be the chief, but he agrees with Ralph anyway and that shows a lack of pettiness which demonstrates the heroic tendencies of a person. 

In contrast, Jack also has sick traits. In chapter six, the boys argue over who is allowed to talk. People who do not have the conch are talking and it is frustrating to Ralph. Jack finally snaps and he says: “‘We don’t need the conch anymore. We know who ought to say things. What good did Simon do speaking, or Bill, or Walter? It’s time some people knew they’ve got to keep quiet and leave deciding things to the rest of us’” (Golding 145).  In this quote, Jack shows that he does not respect anyone else on the island with him, and he only thinks that the important people have valid opinions. He also shows that he is slowly removing himself from the mock society they are creating and becoming more savage. He no longer wants to keep order and stability, and instead wants the people to be in control that he sees best fit to be in control.

Another time Jack shows sick traits is when he kills a pig for the first time. This occurs in chapter four, Ralph is scolding Jack for letting the fire go out, but Jack is barely listening because “His mind was crowded with memories; memories of the knowledge that had come to them when they closed in on the struggling pig, knowledge that they had outwitted a living thing, imposed their will upon it, taken away its life like a long satisfying drink” (Golding 70). Jack has an obsession with killing a pig. After he kills one, the obsession continues throughout the duration of the novel, to the point where it overtakes his thoughts and dehumanizes him. Jack becomes so entranced by taking a life that he no longer thinks rationally and ignores the things Ralph is saying, further proving that he is sick. This quote can also demonstrate his heroicness because he killed the pig, but it mainly proves that his obsession can be seen as a sickness. 

In conclusion, Ralph and Jack both have experiences throughout the novel that prove them to be heroic at times, and sick at others. The two characters demonstrate Golding’s vision of a human “at once heroic and sick”, Ralph through his quick to anger responses to issues, and Jack through his obsessions with killing pigs. Both of the boys exhibit an intense desire to be the leader that overtakes their thinking. Golding used the pair to exemplify how one can be considered good and evil at the same time.