In the Book, Lord of the Flies By William Golding, there is from the start an ever-present battle being raged between civilization and savagery. The book opens with a group of well-to-do boys from a British boarding school crash landing on a deserted island. The boy's lives, which had formerly been governed by rules of etiquette, civility and procedure are turned upside down by this tragedy, and the standards by which they had previously measured their actions are forgotten, replaced by basic laws of survival and primordial ways of life. Golding shows readers, through the actions of the main character, that he feels that most, if not all humans, when taken out of the confines of society and its expectations, will revert to a primeval state. Through this, Golding implies that without rules or law, humanity will always revert to an inherently evil nature. He also clearly implies that people will lose most if not all of the common sense and logic that they possess, and uncover a brutal savage nature that relies solely on instincts to succeed. Golding sees humans as being subjects to their animal-like natures and unable, in most cases to control their own minds. He shows this through many of his characters, and the emotions they are probed with throughout the story. .
In the story, Jack becomes, through a series of events, the antagonist of the entire book. Starting out as a bold and useful, if not a bit arrogant, right had man to Ralph, Jack quickly is shown to be deceitful, cynical boy who craves power and glory, who has little self-control. In the very beginning of the story, when the boys first come across a piglet, Jack tries unsuccessfully to make his first kill. .
The three boys rushed forward and Jack drew his knife again with a flourish. He raised his arm is the air. There came a pause, a hiatus, the pig continued to scream and the creepers to jerk, and the blade continued to flash at the end of a bony arm.