Within the allegory of William Golding, Piggy most closely
represents adults; therefore, to examine Jack's attitude toward adults, the reader may
wish to look at the interplay between Jack and Piggy. In this relationship, Jack's
disrespect and rebellion is evident once he finds himself in the absence of
civilization. Even in Chapter One, Jack's arrogance emerges as he tells Piggy, "Shut
up, Fatty." And, he first broaches the subject of being rescued. When Piggy wants to be
included with Simon and Ralph as they set out on an expedition, Jack tells him, "We
don't want you."
In Chapter Four, Jack "smacked Piggy's
head. Piggy's glasses flew off and tinkled on the rocks." When Jack carelessly breaks
Piggy's glasses, he does not apologize; instead, he thrusts his head significantly over
the top of a rock that lies between them, mimicking the whine and scramble of Piggy for
his glasses. Later, in Chapter Four, Jack talks over Piggy even though Piggy holds the
conch. Further, Jack steals Piggy's glasses as the ultimate insult and refuses to
return them; then, he allows Roger "with a sense of delirious abandonment" to push the
boulder that strikes Piggy's head, sending him careening through the air, then crashing
against the great pink rocks. After this, Jack merely shouts, "I'm chief!" as he has
lost all respect and recognizes only brute,savage force. Only the reappearance of the
adult world as civilization at the end of the novel reduces Jack to embarrassed silence
as he recalls his previous conditioning by society.
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