In his novel, Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses much symbolism to accomplish his moral, which is "man is basically evil." As one reads this novel, he or she will notice the way basic civilization is slowly taken away from the boys. From the very beginning of the story the boys strip themselves the basic civilized world. This is shown when the boys shed their clothes "their school sweaters, then the rest of their clothes are torn off." Their hair becomes messy, long, and even has small twigs in it. Since the boys are left without any adult supervision they have to turn to only their natural instincts.
             Ralph is one of the older boys on the island and is the leader throughout most of the novel. He is described as a pure, English lad. The detail of his fair hair and the fact that he is wearing his school sweater symbolizes many things. The fact that he has fair hair represents that he will be the positive force throughout the novel, as opposed to Jack who is said to have red hair. The theme of hair color is not only portrayed in this book, but is a repeating theme throughout literature and films. The fact that Ralph keeps his school sweater symbolizes his want to keep the island somewhat civilized. He does everything he can to keep the boys under some kind of control. He makes laws including the freedom of speech. Ralph becomes very popular in the beginning, however as the novel proceeds and the society becomes more and more primitive Ralph is turned away from for a strong-armed dictator, Jack Merridew.
             The impression given to us of Jack is that he is a tall thin boy with a shock of red hair at the summit of a black cloak. Jack's appearance seems to suggest evil. Unlike Ralph who stands for common sense and a desire for normal civilized life, all Jack cares about is hunting. Because of this disagreement between Jack and Ralph, Jack is Ralph's biggest enemy.
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