Jack believes that hunting is not instinctive talent but a skill acquired by practice. His motives for hunting are disturbing. He hunts not for the purpose of gaining food to eat but for his personal enjoyment. Golding indicates that there is something extremely dangerous in Jack's obsession with hunting; his expression is one of "madness" when he speaks about his desire to kill. At this point in the story Jack is not sufficiently prepared to kill, but he is approaching the point at which he can inflict mortal violence upon another, whether a pig or a person. Ralph cannily realizes this trait when he reminds Jack that the most important thing that the boys must do is to build a shelter. He implicitly tells Jack that his obsession with hunting does not help the boys' chances of survival.
Golding elaborates on Ralph's character in this chapter, which is presented as sympathetic, rational, and focused on the group's welfare. Still, he is not a perfect leader. He expresses regret and frustration as he cannot control the behavior of the other boys. The major burden that Ralph faces is that he must deal with young children unprepared to take care for themselves or fulfill any responsibility. As he explains, Ralph cannot simply give them orders and expect them to be completed, as Jack automatically assumes he can. Ralph alerts the reader to one of the major obstacles that the boys must overcome, they must behave beyond their years in order to survive and flourish long enough to be saved.
The conflict between the Ralph and Jack brews as early as the election in Chapter 1 but remains hidden beneath the surface, masked by the companionship the boys feel as they work together to build a community. In this chapter, however, the conflict erupts into verbal argument for the first time, making apparent the divisions undermining the boys community and setting the stage for further, more violent developments. As Ralph and Jack argue, each boy tries to give voice to his basic conception of human purpose, Ralph advocates building huts, while Jack advocates hunting. Ralph, who thinks about the overall good of the group, deems hunting frivolous. Jack, drawn to the exhilaration of hunting by his bloodlust and desire for power, has no interest in building huts and no concern for what Ralph thinks. But because Ralph and Jack are merely children, they are unable to state their feelings articulately.
Simon, meanwhile, seems to exist outside the conflict between Ralph and Jack. (between civilization and savagery) We see Simons kind and generous nature through his actions in this chapter. He helps Ralph build the huts when the other boys would rather play, indicating his helpfulness, discipline, and dedication to the common good. Simon helps the littluns reach a high branch of fruit, indicating his kindness and sympathy; a sharp contrast to many of the older boys, who would rather torment the littluns than help them. This aspect of Simon shows something serene and pure, like a figure of Christ in the community of the boys. When Simon sits alone in the jungle marveling at the beauty of nature, we see that he feels a basic connection with the natural world. On the whole, Simon seems to have a basic goodness and kindness that comes from within him and is tied to his connection with nature. All the other boys, meanwhile, seem to have inherited their ideas of goodness and morality from the external forces of civilization, so that the longer they are away from human society, the more their moral sense erodes. In this regard, Simon emerges as an important figure to contrast with Ralph and Jack. Where Ralph represents the orderly forces of civilization and Jack the primal, Simon represents a third quality a kind of goodness that is natural rather than taught by human society.
Golding also forces Jack and Simon into comparison. The chapter begins and concludes in the forest, linking both characters to the area (in contrast to Ralph, who is associated with the beach and mountain areas that he has marked with symbols of civilization-the fire and shelters). Jack and Simon are both attracted to nature, which they prefer to experience in solitude and silence. Nevertheless, their experiences of the forest are markedly distinct. While Jack disturbs and disrupts his surroundings, causing both birds and pigs to flee, Simon feels in complete harmony with the natural world. He submerges himself in the rhythms of the forest not to disturb it, but to appreciate its unique sounds, scents, and images. Jack and Simon thus represent two different human approaches to the natural world, the desire to subjugate nature and the desire to coexist in harmony with it.
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