Friendship in Lord of the Flies
In the novel, Lord of the Flies, the children had many disagreements. There were
several arguments, and the boys even had a war against the original leader, Ralph.
Seemingly, Jack and Ralph are friends in the beginning, but end up being enemies in the
end. Piggy and Ralph were not friends in the beginning, but a friendship eventually
developed later in the novel. Roger and Jack were also friends because they were both
savages and wanted to kill.
Jack and Ralph were quick to be friends in the beginning. They got along well
and were both adventurous. They also both wanted to be chief, even though only one
was chosen. Their need to be leader is what made them become enemies, even though
Jack did have control over the choir, or "hunters". Jack became obsessed with hunting
pigs and did not do his job of keeping the signal fire going.
The fire was their only
chance of ever being rescued and Jack chose to find meat instead. Ralph was furious
when he saw a ship far in the distance and they could not see them because there was no
fire. After this is when Jack really became a savage and even formed his own tribe. This
tribe stole Piggy's glasses during the night so they could have fire. The glasses were the
only way to make fire. They also started a fight and all of the boys were in a huge brawl.
Jack, Roger, and the rest of his tribe were against Ralph, Piggy, and, Sam and Eric. In
the end they even had a war against Ralph and were chasing him around the jungle trying
it kill him. All of this occurred because Jack could not stand Ralph being chief. They
ended up being enemies and Jack did not even realize how evil he had become.
Another friendship that formed was between Ralph and Piggy. In the beginning
Ralph had no respect for him and would not listen to what he had to say. Whenever
Piggy tried to tell him something he would just tell him to, "shut up". But when they
were the only ones left not in Jack's tribe, they slowly became friends. They had to stick
together if they wanted to survive on the island. Ralph finally realized that Piggy was
actually very intelligent and had good ideas. He gained respect for him and stuck up for
him when Jack, or anyone else, made fun of him. Especially when the tribe stole his
glasses. Ralph went over to them and demanded that they give back the glasses. And
even though they did not get them back, it was the gesture of him trying that really
mattered. He truly cared about Piggy and his feelings.
Jack and Roger were also friends. They both had one thing in common-
savagery. They both had the urge to kill and fight. Roger was one of Jack's hunters and
was just as devoted to hunting as Jack was. Roger followed his lead in everything he did:
painting his face, killing the pig, and dancing around the fire doing their "dance". Jack
had complete control over his hunters and they did whatever he told them to. When they
were chasing Ralph in the end, they had special sounds they made when one of them
spotted Ralph. They all stuck together and were against Ralph. Not one of them cared
when Simon, or Piggy died. Jack and his tribe became so evil, and did not even realize
how wrong what they were doing was.
Jack and Ralph are a good example of a brief friendship on the island.
They were friends for a short time in the beginning of the novel, but soon became
enemies. Some friendships did last though. Ralph and Piggy formed a trusting
friendship when they were left on their own to survive. They stayed friends until Piggy
got hit with the boulder and died. Other friendships that were formed were based on pure
savagery. Roger and Jack both hated Ralph and did everything they could to try and kill
him. They were both devoted to hunting and killing. But even through all of this evil
and hate, friendships were formed. Some lasting throughout the whole book, and others
only lasting only for a short time.