Ali Al Dabbagh
Mr. Cohen and Miss. DiPaolo
ENG3U
May 17th, 2023
Chapter 7: The Survival and Hunting Adventure of Ralph and Jack
The sun was shining fiercely in between all the branches and trees, so strong that when it touched Ralph and Jack’s eyes directly, they would have to put their arms up to provide shade and see. They continued to wander through the forest, with the only thought on their minds being food. As Jack leads the way, using his spear to hit any shrubs blocking his path, Ralph’s mind starts to go elsewhere, thinking to himself that he might have to kill another animal for food rather than being able to find a fruit tree. Ralph has never had the thrill of going hunting, leaving him confused as to whether he should feel excited or scared.
Suddenly, as they are continuing to walk through the forest, Jack immediately stops and starts to move his head around in a 360 motion. Ralph, being a few meters behind Jack, stops at the same time he does, then ponders as to what exactly Jack is doing or thinking. Ralph says aloud:
“Everything alright there?”
“Gimme a minute” says Jack
Ralph starts getting anxious as to what could be going on, and then all of a sudden he starts to pick up on what Jack is interested in. Ralph suddenly hears a pig squealing, and the bushes start shifting around in the distance. Jack then slowly takes steps backwards in order to be aligned with Ralph. As Jack takes these steps one by one, each and every step creates the sound of a leaf being crunched or a stick breaking. Before eventually being side-by-side with Ralph. Jack then takes the spear from his left hand and sticks it in front of Ralph's face, with the dagger part of it facing downward. Ralph knows what this means for him: it means he's going to have his first attempt at hunting and killing. Jack then says to him:
“Here, take it. You’re gonna have to learn one way or another”
Ralph then grabs the spear from Jack, and responds with
“Really? I'm supposed to use this? It’s as heavy as a bulldozer!”
Ralph found himself standing still as a boar sprints at him. The boar is running full speed with its tusks out and its eyes on Ralph.
"Here it comes!"
Ralph gripped the spear in his right hand and got into a stance ready to throw it.
"You got this, Ralph; just focus,"Jack says quietly to not disturb him.
Ralph lunges his right foot back and, with full force, projects the spear directly at the head of the boar. Ralph stands still, not moving as the spear leaves his hand, not knowing what to say. Ralph is in shock as he watches the pig squeak, squeal, and gurgle on the floor. Ralph suddenly turns all red, and his heart starts pounding fast. He then asks himself aloud:
"What was the point? What have I become?".
Jack slowly walks up to him and whispers in his ear.
"You can keep surviving now; that's the point."
Ralph responds "Bu-bu-but, I’m a killer."
Ralph's overthinking and emotions were the only things on his mind; he was still in a state of shock. Jack responds, "This is the cost of survival, whether you like it or not. You asked yourself, "What have you become? You’ve become a survivor, that's what."
Ralph finally processes this whole situation; his skin tone slowly turns from red to his natural color. Then he finally speaks out:
"You're right, Jack; this is the cost of survival. Yet this life isn't suitable for me; I would much rather be at home right now playing with friends."
"Even though I am going to need it, I am not a killer, I am not a hunter, and I am still a little boy."
Jack nods his head down without saying a word, then walks over to the boar's dead body and picks it up. Ralph looks over at Jack with his hand palming his face in disbelief. In honor of Ralph, Jack turns his back towards him so he can't see the pig's corpse, then walks off into the distance without saying a word.
Reflection
In my adaptation of Golding’s exemplary Lord of the Flies, I was exhibiting Ralph’s age and character development as depicted by him becoming "a killer". I did this by expressing Ralph's physical, emotional, and verbal reactions to him killing the pig at the start of chapter 7. We also see Jack’s reaction as well as his support for the hard times Ralph was going through. It shows how Jack was supportive of him not being the type to kill, yet still tried his best to convince Ralph that he had to do it for the greater good. Even though Ralph is still not convinced this is "the cost of survival" he thinks of himself as still a "little boy", who should be playing around with friends rather than killing animals in cold blood. I was trying to show that the idea of killing an animal for survival is different in the eyes of some people because Jack is able to hunt and is thrilled while doing so, whereas Ralph is struggling to see the reasoning for killing. Jack was very supportive of Ralph's reaction and went out of his way to carry the pig's corpse away so Ralph couldn't see what he had just done. This shows that at the end of the day, no matter what, the boys on this island always have each other's backs and are determined to thrive and survive together. It is important to remember that these boys are isolated on this island, and it's only up to them to survive, meaning killing for food is necessary. Golding likes to express his writing through verbal conversations between the boys, so I conveyed the dialogue between Ralph and Jack rather than just expressing the emotions in their heads. Golding also used a lot of body language to express what Ralph was thinking and feeling in those moments, so I showed his shocking reaction to the situation he was in. I adapted this part of the novel because in the original Lord of the Flies, Ralph does not successfully kill the pig, and considering this is his first time hunting, I believed it was important to show his reaction to what he was expecting to be a thrilling hunt.
Work Cited
Golding, William, Lord of the Flies. New York, Perigee, September 17, 1954. Accessed May 17th, 2023.
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