Archetypal Characters in Lord Of The Flies Essay

Archetypical characters give readers an idea of the roles that certain people play in a story. The characterization of Jack, Ralph and Piggy strengthens the underlying archetypical characters in the novel. The three greater archetypical characters that are strengthened are the bully, the leader and the outcast characters.

The archetypical character, the bully, is very strong in Goldings novel, The Lord of the Flies. This archetypical character gives readers an idea of the most dominant role that society has. Jack is characterized as aggressive. In any story with a bully, there is almost always an aggressive personality. In chapter one, when Piggy is babbling on, Jack says shut up fatty (page 17) to Piggy. The fact that Jack makes an unprovoked belligerent statement like this shows how aggressive Jack is. Jack picks on Piggy because he is a weaker target. Rarely does a bully pick on a person that is not vulnerable. Jack is also characterized as a dictator, which is illustrated by his lack of respect for the opinions and thoughts of others. while, Ralph is suggesting that they declare a chief. Jack nominates himself I ought to be chief (page 18)he says. The fact that he nominates himself to be the leader, suggests that he does not respect democratic voting. He doesnt care what other people think. He wants to place power in his own hands, making him a dictator. A bully always wants to have complete control over everybody, just like a dictator would. Thirdly, Jack is characterized as savage, which is demonstrated by his obsession with hunting and killing. When the younger boys talk in fear about the snake they saw, Jack says there isnt a snake thing and if there was a snake, we would hunt it and kill it. (Page 35) This shows that Jack is preoccupied with hunting and exemplifies his desire for violence and brutality. Many bullies use violence and brutality to physically over power their victims. The ``bully`` archetypical character has a powerful role in the novel, mostly because of the characterization of Jack. The `` leader`` role is just as widely recognized as the ``bully`` role. The characterization of Ralph, leads readers to believe that Ralph is the leader because he is often times the one that is most willing to look out for others. . Ralph is characterized as very athletic. Early in chapter one, when William Golding is describing Ralph, he says ``You could see now that he might make a boxer, but there was a mildness about his mouth and eyes that proclaimed no devil.`` (page 5) the author says he could make it as a boxer indicates that he is very physically strong. Society often picks leaders that have physically appealing looks. The fact that he says that there is a softness about his eyes and mouth, tells the reader that Ralph may be physically strong, but not in a way that seems harmful or threatening. Ralph is also characterized as optimistic. Optimism is a major quality in leadership. In chapter one, when talking about being rescued, Ralph says ``I could swim when I was five. My daddy taught me. He`s a commander in the navy. He`ll come and rescue us``. (Page) This shows that Ralph is optimistic about the rescue opportunities, just like in sports when something is not going right, it is up to the captain to show optimism and get the team going again. The fact that Ralph is being optimistic shows some of the leadership qualities that Ralph has. Thirdly, Ralph is characterized as friendly. Later on in chapter one, when Ralph is telling others about a meeting, he says ``we`re having a meeting. Come and join us. `` (page 16) the fact that he is telling the other boys to join, illustrates that he is being friendly and wants to include them. Not all leaders are friendly, but it is very important to be congenial in order to be liked by others. Like the archetypical character the ``bully``, the ``leader`` is also a very powerful role in the novel, demonstrated by the characterization of Ralph.

Although the archetypical character, the ``outcast``, may not seem as important as the other roles, it is still existent through the characterization of Piggy. Early in chapter one, when William Golding is describing Piggy`s physical features, he says ``he was shorter than the fair boy and very fat...looked up through thick spectacles``. (Page 2) People are often judged by their physical looks and in this case, Piggy is being described negatively showing that he is not like the other boys. He is short, fat and wears glasses. Piggy is also characterized as intelligent. A little bit later in chapter one, William Golding describes Piggy. He says ``the fat boy waited to be asked his name in turn, but this proffer of acquaintances was not made. The fact that William said proffer of acquaintance, indicates that a good vocabulary is linked with Piggy, meaning that he is intelligent. In society, for some strange reason, smart people are not always accepted. Thirdly, Piggy is characterized as lazy or weak. When he is consulting with Ralph, he says ``we`ve got to find the others, we`ve got to do something. `` (page 10) the fact that Piggy says ``we``, suggests that he doesn`t want to do it himself, or that maybe he cannot physically do it himself. The archetypical character the ``outcast`` is not as widely recognized as the other characters, but it is still existent in the novel, with the help of the characterization of Piggy.

The archetypical characters are distinctly illustrated in the characterizations of Jack, Ralph and Piggy. Understanding the bully, leader and outcast roles in the novel can help readers to see why William Golding had certain characters hold these roles throughout the book.