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Analysis Of ' Lord Of The Flies '

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“In a 2005 survey about gay bullying statistics, teens reported that the number two reason they are bullied is because of their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender expression”, according to bullyingstatistics.org. It has also been shown that those who are bullied themselves often go on to bully others because it is all they know, or that bullying covers up their own shames. The character Jack Merridew in Lord of the Flies is not evil like many would argue, but rather is ashamed of the fact that he is gay and closeted. This is supported by the hunter’s casting off of religion and government, Jack’s inability to hunt unless in front of other boys, and the beast as a symbol. The first reason Jack is secretly gay is his casting off of government and religion. Not all gay people do this obviously, but when he gets to the island he casts off those that wronged him for his sexuality. “‘Take off your togs.’” (Golding 23). This is a metaphor for casting off his religion, and to many, becoming nihilistic. It is not nihilism, though, but rather an act of renouncing the religion that always treated him poorly for his sexuality. “...the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist.” (Golding 181) The shattering of the conch comes out of the idea that the conch represents order which Jack wants to disrupt. His reason is that in England at the time, being gay was illegal and being homosexual could lead to execution. This means that Jack would hate the

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