Summative Task III: Jack

In chapter one when we are first introduced to Jack, he seems like a very nice young boy. He is friendly towards all the boys excluding Piggy, and particularly nice to Ralph. He is excited by the prospects of living on the island and electing a chief and creating rules. He believes that he should be chief since he was the head boy of the choir and can sing C sharp. He is only slightly discouraged when Ralph is chosen instead of him. Instead, he gets caught up in the excitement of hunting. He has the opportunity to kill a pig but cannot make himself do it. He vows that next time, he will.
We are shown through this that Jack is generally friendly yet has a mean streak. He is a little bit arrogant (he thought he should be chief) but he is also gracious. He is not easily fazed.

In chapter two, we are shown Jack's natural leading personnality. He runs up the mountain to make a fire and he is followed by all the boys except for Ralph and Piggy. Ralph quickly follows. Jack and Ralph struggle together to light the fire until Jack suggests that they use Piggy's spectacles. As Piggy begins to challenge them, Jack tells Piggy to shut up several times. He then accepts the responsibility of both hunting (he is quite adventurous and bloodthirsty) and keeping the fire going. He is in charge of the choir, and he splits them up to accomplish these two tasks. The chapter ends in Piggy noticing all kinds of things wrong with their plans. Jack calls Piggy a 'fatty' even though it is obvious that Piggy is right.
Jack is a born leader who loves adventure, but his mean streak that we saw earlier is showing through Piggy more and more. He doesn't seem to be afraid of responsibility, yet he doesn't think for very long about whether he can handle it or not.

Chapter three begins with Jack bent over and prepared to kill. We are given a physical description of him-- he has sandy hair which has grown quite long at this point has been bleached by the sun. He has freckles on his sunburnt back and he is naked except for a pair of beat-up shorts. He enjoys hunting, but is unable to actually kill anything yet again. When he goes back to see Ralph, who has been working on the shelters almost single-handedly, Ralph gets annoyed that Jack had left him all alone. Jack responds by getting angry right back at him, accusing Ralph of accusing him. Ralph wants to keep working, but Jack is able to draw him away and solve their conflict by suggesting a bath in the pool. Ralph is unable to resist.
Jack is obviously a very self-defending charactar who is easily angered when people are finding fault with him. However, he doesn't seem to like conflict.

In the next chapter, Jack is still obsessed with the thought of hunting. He considers the reasons why he is unable to kill a pig, and decides it's because they can see him. He quickly gathers his hunters and paints them all, including himself. They make a circle, trapping the pig, and kill it. Meanwhile, the fire goes out, a ship come, and Ralph and Piggy are overcome by grief of missing an opportunity to be rescued. When Jack and the hunters finally return in extremely high spirits to share their tales of adventure with Ralph, Ralph is angry about the fire. Jack is angered by his anger, but appologizes, even though in his mind he is the one in the right. He relights the fire and breaks Piggy's glasses in the process. Ralph is not impressed, but Jack offers him meat to make up. He does not, however, offer Piggy any.
The concern earlier about Jack taking on too much without thinking about it has shown itself to be true. He couldn't handle the hunting and the fire. He once again is annoyed with Ralph's anger, yet his dislike of conflict makes him appologize.

In chapter five an assembly is called and the beast is discussed. Jack says on page 88 "So this is a meeting to find out what's what. I'll tell you what's what. You littluns started all this with the fear talk. Beasts! Where from? Of course we're frightened sometimes but we put up with being frightened. Only Ralph says you scream in the night. What does that mean but nightmares? Anyway, you don't hunt or build or help-- you're a lot of cry-babies and sissies. That's what. And as for the fear-- you'll have to put up with that like the rest of us."
Jack is very blunt and very unkind to the littluns. He shows lots of courage and bravery, however.

Finally, chapter six sees a search for the beast. They are searching for it, and they get to a certain place on the island where no one had been before. Everyone is afraid as they are about to enter where they believe the beast to be, except Jack, who exclaimes excitedly "What a place for a fort!" All the boys are distracted. They want to stay and make the fort, but Ralph insists that they go on. Jack would rather stay, but since Ralph is chief, he goes on and leads the way once again.
We are once again shown Jack's leadership and love of adventure.

Keep smiling, everyone!