Emotions are one of the biggest influences on a person’s decisions and can often alter one’s disposition. As stated in a manuscript submitted for publication in the Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, “Emotions are the dominant driver of most meaningful decisions”. This psychological phenomenon is apparent in various forms of media, including movies, television shows, and novels. In William Golding’s ‘Lord of the Flies’, a group of young boys crash-lands on a remote island. Without the guidance of adults or the influence of civilization, the boys slowly descend into a state of chaos and barbaric violence. Their emotion-driven actions, especially those of Jack Merridew, make evident the loss of innocence. Throughout Lord of the Flies, Golding explores different human emotions and how they contribute to Jack’s loss of innocence.
Golding analyzes the feelings of pride and determination to illustrate Jack’s initial innocence. After the boys crash-land on the island, they gather and decide to hold a vote to determine a new chief. Jack, confident in his leadership abilities, cockily declares: “I ought to be chief because I’m chapter chorister and head boy. I can sing C sharp” (Golding, 19). The qualities that he believes make him a good leader show the influence that society has had on him. He takes pride in being able to ‘sing C sharp’, an ability that may be perceived as impressive by society, but is utterly useless while stranded on an island. In a survival setting, the ability to sing a difficult note will not provide them with food, water, or shelter, which are all necessities for survival. His thinking proves his innocence, as he is ignorant of the fact that being ‘chapter chorister’ will not help him survive on a deserted island. Similar confidence is displayed when the boys assemble to make a fire. During their meeting, Jack claims that the group needs rules in order to be successful. He proclaims: “We’ve got to have rules and obey them. After all, we’re not savages. We’re English, and the English are the best at everything. So we’ve got to do the right things” (Golding, 44). Jack’s boast that they are not ‘savages’ exemplifies the pride he has in being civilized. His determination to obey the rules and ‘do the right things’ displays his innocence because he wants to apply societal norms in a setting that is wild and uncivilized. Through the analysis of Jack’s feelings of pride and determination, Golding portrays his primary innocence.
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Through the exploration of the emotions of shame and embarrassment, Golding exemplifies the beginning of Jack’s loss of innocence. After Jack sees the reflection of his painted face in the water for the first time, he reacts in an unusual manner. The narrator describes: “He began to dance and his laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling. He capered towards Bill, and the mask was a thing on its own, behind which Jack hid, liberated from shame and self-consciousness” (Golding, 68). Golding describes Jack’s laughter as ‘bloodthirsty snarling’, which illustrates Jack’s newfound bloodlust, as well as the animalistic qualities he gains after being isolated from civilization for an extended period of time. Jack hides behind the mask of paint, allowing him to conceal his humanity and civil attributes. As a result, he acts in a brutish manner because he is free of ‘shame and self-consciousness’ when hidden behind the mask. Jack’s uninhibited actions show the beginning of his loss of innocence. As the plot progresses, Jack’s humiliation-driven temper only grows worse. As Piggy attempts to scold Jack for letting the fire go out, Jack suddenly erupts with a violent outburst. The narrator explains: “This from Piggy, and the wails of agreement from some of the hunters, drove Jack to violence. The bolting look came into his blue eyes. He took a step, and able at last to hit someone, stuck his fist into Piggy’s stomach” (Golding, 77). Golding’s description of Jack being ‘able at last to hit someone’ suggests that Jack’s behavior slowly declines into savagery. His description also implies that Jack was not previously capable of inflicting harm on another person, but the humiliation of being rebuked by Piggy is enough to drive him to violence. Jack’s stray from innocence is evident in the way he immediately reacts to uncomfortable situations with violence rather than in a civilized manner.
Through the employment of childish emotions, Golding illustrates Jack’s complete loss of innocence. Following their first successful hunt, Jack reminisces on the day’s events and feels the need to explain to the other boys the details of the hunt. The narrator recalls: “He sought, charitable in his happiness, to include them in what had happened” (Golding, 76). Similar to the way a child is excited to share the details of his school day with his parents, Golding reveals that Jack is eager to share the gory details of the hunt with the rest of the boys. Before, Jack was barely able to witness the sight of blood. Now, the memories of the blood and gore from the hunt excite him, so much so that he feels the need to share them with others. Likewise, after Jack and his newly formed tribe successfully slaughter a pig, he covers his hands in the sow’s blood. He shows his hands to the other boys, and the narrator describes: “He giggled and flicked them while the boys laughed at his reeking palms” (Golding, 155). During their first hunt, Jack is not able to kill a pig because he cannot bear the thought of killing a living creature and seeing its blood. The comparison of his previous manner to his current one exemplifies his transition from innocent to barbaric and crude. Rather than being uncomfortable with the sight of blood on his hands, Jack merely ‘giggled’ and continues to play with it, which shows he no longer feels the guilt of taking the life of a helpless animal. His giddy reaction to the boar’s blood reinforces his loss of innocence and newly instated inhumanity. Golding exemplifies Jack’s complete loss of innocence through the utilization of child-like emotions.
The different emotions William Golding analyzes in ‘Lord of the Flies’ help to show the degradation of Jack’s innocence. First, he explores the feeling of pride to illustrate Jack’s primal innocence and ties to civilization. Similarly, Golding displays the emotions of shame and embarrassment to exemplify the initiation of Jack’s transition from innocent to savage. Finally, through the utilization of child-like emotions, he demonstrates Jack’s absolute loss of innocence. Modern media reflects the interrelationship between emotions and a person’s character and temperament.
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