I occasionally wonder if would be possible to get someone to become as uncivilized as Jack on an island over such a short space of time. Then again I am reminded that the events that unfolded for the boys on the marooned island must have unfolded over a much longer period and appear to be condensed because of the tightened plot. Jack's contestation of authority is an essential primer to his eventual detachment from the group that represented it and the status quo. Here are some of thoughts on how credible he was a leader and how the story line twists to his advantage.
First Jack loved adventure. On an island where most of children wanted to play rather than think of tomorrow, Jack offered an escape from the reality of being abandoned and in need of safety. That seems to fit with the realm of what sociologists and psychologists might say about how children would react in the face of impending danger. They would gravitate to the person who would offer them a chance of escape in a make believe world which to us meant a world of savageness. Children generally lack the maturity of adults in being able to discern the difference between who is looking after best interests and who is only looking for authority.
Second Jack offered what he called "real leadership". This meant he was able to attend to the immediate needs of the children, which was to fill their gut and get fire. They would look for leadership especially if there was someone who was able to apply authority as Ralph and Jack were but because Ralph failed as a hunter in Jack's regard and this was transmitted to the children. They were able to see that Jack would fulfill their need for food even though he would have no sense of getting them off the island. He would also then reinforce their becoming uncivilized and more eager to usurp the democratic authority that Ralph offered. The children would also look to bury any shock of abandonment by turning to the discovery of a ritualistic game, which Jack succeeded to communicate and which Ralph was poor at doing.
Jack's credibility mounted with the popularity of the "Lord of the Flies" or the pig's head on a sharpened stick. This was to become Jack's chalice and it would mean the downfall of the authority of the conch over the island. Jack never referred to the pig's head as emblematic of his command over the majority of children but the killing of the pig and the impaling of its head probably did convert them over to his side as it affected characters such as Simon.
