Character Sketch

 

            My name is Ralph and I am a twelve year old British boy.  When I first landed on this island, I found it very exciting.  Freedom was mine with no adult supervision, and I could do whatever I wanted.  My excitement is expressed when I yell out with excitement, “No grownups!”(8).

My friend Piggy, the first person I met on the island, had me summon the others with a conch shell that he found.  “You try, Ralph.  You call the others” (16).  The conch became our symbol of authority in the assemblies, and the littluns would respond to its call.  I realized early on that it was important to maintain order and that it was not all going to be fun and games.  I was elected leader by the other boys, just winning over Jack.  “I’m chief then” (23).  I then decided to appoint Jack the head of the choir boys because I felt bad for him. 

I consider myself good looking and a natural leader.  I am described as, “The fair boy” (8).  If you asked me, I wouldn’t consider myself the strongest physically or the smartest on the island, but I have good sense and focus.  I can tell right from wrong thanks to my conscience.

 I did not loose my head like some of the others.  The hunters games turned brutally violent and the hunters became keen on killing.  I try to be a just person, and people usually find me calm, rational and sensible. Listening to other, “Ralph considered this, and understood” (139), shows my ability to be reasonable. 

I miss my life at home, and I have dreamt about what it was like when I was young.  I did my best to keep the order on the island, however I was unsuccessful.  Through my experiences on the island, I have learned of the evil that exists within people.  When we are rescued by the naval officer, “Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart” (202). I have grown a great deal from my experiences, and I know I will never be the same. 

 

Pre Trial Reflection

 

            As I reflect on the time I spent on the island, I realize how overjoyed I am to be home.  When I first arrived on the island, things seemed to be good and I was happy to be without grownups and worries.  In my mind, I cannot pin point the time at which things started to get bad.  But lately, I am left with a queasiness in the pit of my stomach that will not go away.  I often wake in my bed, sweating with fear.  I see the images of the boys, the cries of hunters, and the flashes of blood dripping from Piggy’s head.  I still feel the sting in my eyes from the burning fire and continue to experience the disappointment when the first opportunity of rescue seized to exist.  I can smell the decay of the raped pig’s head, and see the spear sharpened at two ends intended for my own head.  These experiences make me feel as if I am no longer twelve-years old, but twenty.  It seems as though I was robbed of the joys of life, and my innocence because I must live with       unrelenting horrible memories.  People worry about me, and all I wish is that things would be OK again.  I hope that the trials of Jack Merridew will help set my mind at ease. 

            Attending Jack’s trial may be one of the hardest things I ever have to do.  I do not look forward to face Jack because he contributed to the deaths of two young boys, Simon and Ralph.  Regarding the murder of Piggy, although I feel that Jack did not physically take part, his cruel mind, and love for killing encouraged the other boys, especially Roger.  The messages that Jack sent the boys through the raping of the sow, and the taunting of tribe members, ultimately lead to this savage action.  Jack also contributed to the death of Simon, in that Jack initiated the dance.  Jack’s final charge is the attempted murder of myself.    However, I am eager to get things off my mind.  On the island, as appointed chief, I tried my best to make things run smoothly, but my moral thinking seemed to clash with the views of Jack.  As the other boys stopped responding to the call of the conch, and no longer followed the rules which were set up, I realized things would probably go downhill from there.  Jack led my death hunt, and wanted me dead.  That is very scary to think about, and I am nervous that I will not be able to recall it to the court.  The navy soldier who saved my life caused me to cry.  I clearly remember my tears, the saltiness running down my face, which is a familiar feeling these days.  I feel that Jack deserves to be brought to justice for his barbaric actions.  I hope that he receives punishment, because his actions led to the death of two boys, and I must live with the taunting memories of those awful events. 

 

During Trial Reflection

 

            In the court room, I am nervous and uneasy.  To my left sits Piggy and Simon, and on the right side of the court are Jack and Roger.  It is strange to see everyone in a different setting, the island landscape just a distant memory.  There are adults present, a powerful judge, and knowledgeable lawyers.  It is no longer a bunch of little kids, left alone, to survive. 

As the trial begins, I notice how the judicial system works, and it makes me angry that we could not maintain democracy on the island.  As defense cross examines the prosecutions first witnesses, Piggy and Samneric, they attempt to prove that the murders of Piggy and Simon, and the attempted murder of me, were not on any account, Jack’s fault.  They try to prove that the murder of Simon was closer to a mob frenzy, then one individual’s responsibility.  They also want to show that it was dark outside, and Simon appeared to them as a beast, and therefore everyone was acting in self defense. 

Concerning the death of Piggy, the defense is showing how Jack did not instruct Roger in any way to drop the boulder on him.  As a whiteness to this action, Roger is the person who actually committed the murder.  However, I needed to show how Jack contributed to Piggy’s death.  Prior to the point in which I had to testify, I was nervous, but determined to speak the truth about the murder.  I knew that Roger was under the orders of Jack, and Jack had control over his entire tribe.  Jack negatively influenced his tribe members by planting ideas into their minds that killing was just fun and games, and letting down the littluns by telling them there was no hope of being rescued. 

When it was my turn to testify, I tried, to the best of my knowledge and ability, to demonstrate how Jack’s influence and ideas promoted the others to kill.  Following my testimony, the defense called their witnesses that tried to prove that Jack did not murder Piggy and Ralph, and did not attempt to murder me. 

The mood of the courtroom remained somber as the rest of the trial continued.  At the end of the closing statements, my heart raced for the decision of the verdict.  I hope that Jack is sentenced with appropriate charges, and I did justice to myself, Simon, Piggy and my country. 

           

Post Trial Reflection

 

The verdict is in; Jack is found guilty on only one account; the attempted murder of myself.  When I heard the foreperson read the verdict aloud, I sighed with relief.  The butterflies that had been building up in my stomach, fluttered away in that instance.  I am pleased that Jack is being put to justice for his actions plotted against me, and it makes me even more grateful for our rescue at the time that it occurred.

I hope now that because the trial is over with, I will be able to sleep easier at night, and the harsh images of island life will no longer visit my thoughts or dreams. Time will remove the smell of the blood, the sound of the chanting, and the taste of raw meet. Maybe now that all the experiences are behind me, that I can move on, and continue to live my life as close to normal as possible.  I know that time will heal my heartfelt wounds and dissolve the sorrow and despair I feel for my friends Simon and Piggy for their death. 

Concerning the charges of the murder of Simon and Piggy, Jack was exonerated., I feel that he should not be charged with first degree murder, but accused of manslaughter instead.  I have great sympathy for the families of Simon and Piggy and I feel that justice was not served, in that their alleged murderer was not put behind bars for that charge. 

 

Character Sketch – Sam and Eric

 

            We are identical twins and we spend all of our time together.  Golding describes us as “The two boys, bullet-headed and with hair like tow…they were twins, and the eye was shocked and incredulous at such cheery duplication.  They breathed together, they grinned together, they were chunky and vital” (19).  People sometimes treat us as if we were one unit, by calling us Samneric, but we really do not mind.  We do not see how we could ever be apart because we rely on each other.  In general, we are pretty mellow people, and we tend to follow whoever is the best leader.  On the island, we were often in charge of tending the fire up on the mountain.  This job was reserved for the common people of the tribe, which best describes our role in the island society.  In the beginning of the novel, we belonged to Ralph’s tribe because he provided us with a sense of security.  However, that security was threatened by Jack, and we joined his tribe because he forced us to, and he was very powerful.  We betrayed Ralph by revealing his hiding spot to Jack, because we feared for our lives, and we did what we had to, to ensure our survival.