Tuesday, April 16, 2013

What is the overall conflict in Chapter 8 of the novel Lord of the Flies?

The overall conflict in Chapter 8 of the Lord of the Flies is Jack's departure from Ralph's group and his creation of a tribe dedicated to barbarism and savagery. Prior to Chapter 8, tension had been growing between Ralph and Jack over the responsibilities of the hunters and leadership roles. At the beginning of Chapter 8, Jack calls and assembly and attacks Ralph's character. Jack attempts to usurp power by calling for a vote to unseat Ralph as their leader. When no one agrees with Jack's assessment of Ralph as a leader, he storms off and invites his hunters to join him and his new tribe. Throughout the day, many of the boys sneak off and join Jack's tribe. Toward the end of the novel, after the boys successfully kill a pig, Jack's tribe raids Ralph's group and steals burning logs from their signal fire. Jack extends an invitation to the boys in Ralph's group to join his tribe for a feast. This conflict is significant because the schism between Ralph and Jack's tribes symbolize good vs. evil, moral vs. immoral, and civility vs. savagery. The fact that Jack attracted so many followers suggests that primitive human instincts are very attractive and hard to resist. Jack's new tribe is the epitome of barbarism, and their brutal murder of the sow is evidence of their violent ways. This conflict is the turning point in the novel, and Ralph will struggle against Jack's tribe for the remainder of the story.

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