Lord of the Flies: Response 3
6:46 PM
"Nobody can tell me where I can and can't go" - Kanye West
Excerpt:
"'I'm going off by myself. He can catch his own pigs. Anyone who wants to hunt when I do can come too.'
He blundered out of the triangle toward the drop to the white sand.
'Jack!'
Jack turned and looked at Ralph. For a moment he paused and then cried out, high pitched, enraged
'-No!'"
In this passage, Jack is trying to discredit Ralph by focusing on the prospect of food. Jack knows he himself is the best hunter, and he is using that idea to his advantage. He is appealing to the side of the boys who want to eat meat by tempting their id. They don't have to eat meat; they have plenty of fruit. They just want to. Ralph being the ego, is trying to reason with Jack. He knows that although the group may fight less without him, he is useful in his own way. Ralph may also know that if Jack leaves, people may follow him and he'd rather keep him closer than further, if only to keep an eye on him. However, Jack, humiliated from losing the vote, screams, "No!". This "enraged" scream is pretty much what the quote is saying. Nobody can tell Jack where he can and can't go because there is no authority over him. There is no consequence besides what he brings upon himself for leaving. Jack realizes the flaw in Ralph's leadership, he has rules but nothing else. There is nothing but the boys' own consciousness and morality that will incite them to follow. However, without society's rules restraining them, the definition of morality becomes skewed. If the boys break down in the way they are, it becomes that morality is created only by what is good' and 'bad' based on the consequences the authority sets. Therefore, there is no true morality without a true leader.
Furthermore, by Jacks "moment [of] pause[]", it's possible to infer that Jack did suppress his id for a moment to reason with himself. Though instinct quickly won out, and he turned his head from Ralph. Perhaps instinct is the better choice in this situation. By leaving after he's used them, he is gaining an advantage. Even though he does this, he does acknowledge that it would be stupid to just leave and imply that he doesn't want company. Jack is not invincible, and hunting is still easier with more people. So, with a surprisingly limited amount of spite in his voice, he invites others to join him if they want to hunt and eat meat.
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