Who Is Jack in Lord of the Flies?
Jack Merridew is the red-haired leader of the choir in William Golding's Lord of the Flies. He becomes Ralph's rival and ends the book as the chief of a tribe that hunts Ralph.
He is the novel's main antagonist, and the clearest example of how quickly the boys' rules break down once no adult is around.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Jack Merridew |
| First seen | Leading his choir along the beach |
| Role at the start | Head of the choir, then leader of the hunters |
| Role at the end | Chief of his own tribe |
| Rival | Ralph |
| Closest follower | Roger |
Who is Jack when the book begins?
Jack is among the boys stranded on the island, and he arrives in a group: a line of choirboys in black cloaks that he leads in military order. He is red-haired, sure of himself, and he asks to be called by his surname, Merridew, rather than Jack. From the first chapter he is used to giving orders.
When the boys vote for a leader, they choose Ralph, the boy who blew the conch. Jack is angry but accepts a smaller role: he and his choir become the hunters. That decision sets up the rivalry that runs through the whole book.
↑ Back to the topHow does Jack change into a hunter?
Jack's first attempt to kill a pig fails, because he cannot bring himself to strike. He promises that next time he will. Hunting soon becomes the thing he cares about most. The change shows in small steps: he drops the rules of school, and he paints his face. The mask lets him act without shame, and the other hunters follow his example.
His interest in meat clashes with Ralph's interest in rescue. While the hunters are away chasing a pig, the signal fire on the mountain goes out, and a ship passes the island without seeing the boys. This is the moment their quarrel turns serious.
↑ Back to the topWhen does Jack break away from Ralph?
After the boys grow afraid of a beast, Jack tells them that he will hunt it and says Ralph is a coward. He calls for a vote to remove Ralph as chief. Nobody votes for him, and he walks away from the group. Soon most of the boys follow, drawn by meat, face paint and the feeling of safety in a crowd.
Jack's tribe leaves a pig's head on a stick as an offering to the beast, and he rules as an absolute chief. The tribe raids the others for fire, and later it steals Piggy's glasses so that it can light fires of its own.
↑ Back to the topWhat happens to Jack at the end of the book?
Jack's tribe is behind the killing of Simon during a frenzied dance. After the death of Piggy, who is crushed by a boulder that Roger rolls from above, Jack drives the island toward a final hunt, and his tribe sets fire to the forest to flush Ralph out.
The fire brings a British naval officer ashore. In front of an adult, Jack is again just a schoolboy, and he says nothing when the officer asks who is in charge. The chief of the tribe is gone, and what is left is a child.
↑ Back to the topWhat does Jack represent?
Ralph and Jack are the book's two opposed ideas. Ralph is order, rules and the hope of rescue. Jack is appetite, power and the pleasure of violence. Jack starts as the leader of a choir, so the boy who ends in savagery began as one of the most disciplined on the island.
↑ Back to the topMore about Lord of the Flies
This guide covers the book only. Film and TV versions differ in places.