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Lord of the Flies Primitivity Quotes Page 1
Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)
…The ground was hardened by an accustomed tread and as Jack rose to his full height he heard something moving on it. He swung back his right arm and hurled the spear with all his strength. (3.5)
Jack is consistently portrayed as the hunter of the group, highlighting his primitivity and tendency toward violence.
- Jack
- >
[Jack] tried to convey the compulsion to track down and kill that was swallowing him up.
“I went on. I thought, by myself –”
The madness came into his eyes again.
“I thought I might kill.” (3.37-40)
Jack’s primitivity continues to heighten as the novel progresses. The interesting question is whether this is his real nature, having been subdued by culture, or whether the island is eroding his true self.
- Jack
- >
[Jack] began to dance and his laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling. (4.33)
Jack’s violent tendencies seem to be tied to some sort of primitive hunting instinct. The desire to kill reduces him to this basest form of being.
