In 1954, William Golding published the high point of his career, Lord of the Flies. Lord of the Flies demonstrates the depraved nature of humanity by telling the story of a group of boys stranded on a desert island. After a tragic plane crash, the boys realize they are the only survivors and begin organizing to build shelters, find food and water, and call for help. Led by a boy named Ralph, the boys soon light a signal fire and establish a routine for a civilized life away from adults. However, the peace established by Ralph is soon compromised by the group's hunters, led by a boy named Jack. Jack challenges Ralph's leadership and, by appealing to selfishness and fear, seizes the allegiance of most of the boys. After Jack's rise to power, the story quickly takes a turn for the worse as human nature begins to tear apart the boys' sense of order and drive them toward savagery. Although Jack's role in the group initially begins as one of cooperation, the end of the novel leaves it more beast than human. In Lord of the Flies, Jack's gradual descent from an envious self to a demonic self parallels the way human nature drives men toward savagery and war. Jack had been a generally helpful and cooperative member of the group until the desire to hunt overcame him. His inability to kill a pig when the opportunity arises awakens in him a thirst for blood, eventually causing him to abandon the signal fire to hunt. This decision marks a key turning point in the story, as during his absence a ship passes that could have saved the group. Jack's disdain for Ralph's leadership comes from his desire for leadership and the "freedom" to hunt and play instead of wasting time with a traffic light. Jack uses this view of ...... middle of paper ...... the demonic self parallels the way human nature drives men to savagery and war. Dangar, Joyanta. "The Nightmare Beast, War and Children in William Golding's Lord of the Flies." PsyArt (2013): n. page. PsyArt: An online journal for the psychological study of the arts. November 26, 2013. The web. April 12, 2014. .2. Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York: Penguin, 2006. Print.3. Percy, Walker. “The demonic self, the envious self.” Lost in the Cosmos: The Last Self-Help Book. 1st ed. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1983. N. pag. Print.4. Spitz, David. "Power and Authority: An Interpretation of Golding's 'Lord of the Flies'" Reverend Lord of the Flies. The Antioch Review 30.1 (1970): 21-33. JSTOR. Internet. May 22 2014. .