The whole novel is based upon a confrontation of two central characters: Ralph, who was selected as a leader, and Jack, a head boy of the choir.Jack was upset by the fact that he was not chosen as their chief and always tried to undermine Ralph’s authority. He implemented his plan and gained his power over other boys, when the beast showed up Jack used Ralph’s frustration and fear of the boys to plant a seed of doubt in their minds and manipulate them.
It was not important if the beast actually existed but to convince the boys that it was as he could control them with their own fear. He was confident and straightforward, he demonstrated his fearless and decisive character in front of the boys. Firstly, he diminished Ralph’s authority, saying “He’s like Piggy. He says things like Piggy. He isn’t a proper chief” (181). Though he did not get acknowledgement from others, he made the boys doubt, that Ralph was not as smart as he seemed. More than that he tried to convince boys that there was no reason to listen to Ralph, as “He’s not a hunter… He just gives orders and expects people to obey for nothing”(182) Jack even raises the fear of the beast, stating that “The beast is a hunter”(181), in order to make boys realize, that Ralph was not able to protect them.
Then, Jack decided to leave the “Ralph’s lot”, as he did not get any support. However, his words effected some of his hunters, and they eventually created their own tribe with Jack as their chief. It is my strong opinion, that Jack was a great manipulator: he used fear of boys as a weapon against Ralph. Indeed, it is an effective way to override others, as there are two main ways to manipulate people – respect and fear. Fear makes people act recklessly. Jack told the boys all they wanted to hear: he promised them safety, if they worshipped that beast and made some gifts to it, and at the same time he encouraged their fear in order to make it easier to control the situation.
