Tracy S. answered • 01/10/19
Certified English teacher specializing in struggling writers
When Jack, Ralph, and Roger go up the mountain to ascertain the validity of “the beast,” he goes with the intention of proving once and for all that he is the proper option for chief of the island. He even teases Ralph asking him if he is scared to go, to which Ralph replies honestly, “Yes, of course,” showing the reader that he has no shame showing fear. Once they are nearing the mountain’s peak, Jack has lost some of his courage and isn’t as keen to take the lead to see what await them. Once they see what they believe to be the beast, they all run away together, but Jack runs with an agenda: he now can expose Ralph for bad mouthing the hunters and as a coward. He goes to the beach and, for the first and only time, uses the conch, an object he has never believe in the symbolism it represents to their society, in an effort to have Ralph removed from power. While this vote ultimately seemed to go in Ralph’s favor, as no one voted for Jack to be the new chief, the reader can imply that the turn into savagery that the boys are taking would not respect a society that follows rules and organization, so Jack makes his stand, inviting those who want to have fun to join him, and as the story progresses, those who do not join on their own will eventually be taken by force against their will. So, ultimately, Jack’s foray to the mountain was his final push to take control of the Island by hook or by crook, and it is not until the boys are rescued that he relinquishes his rule over the poor boys and the hell on earth that he created.
I hope this was helpful.
