Lord of the Flies Critical Literary Essay Even apparently rational and civilized people will turn evil. This is true with some characters in the novel, Lord of the Flies, by William Golding. Jack and Ralph are two characters that demonstrate this theme in the novel. In the beginning, Jack appears to be rational and civilized. He is first introduced into the story as the leader of the choirboys. It seems as though he has a good sense of responsibility. Jack, along with Ralph and Piggy, is a candidate for chief. The other boys see them as having the most leadership qualities of all the boys. Although Jack isn't chosen a