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   troutmiller Teacher
   High School - 12th Grade

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   He says this after he refrains from killing the pig that they see when they are exploring.  He shows that he has savage tendencies.  He's aggressive with his choir, as he doesn't seem to care when Simon faints.  He even slams his knife into a tree, which shows his short temper.  When he holds back from going after the pig, he shows that he has some civility.  However, his scary comment of "Next time there would be no mercy" shows that he will not hold back next time. 

   In a later chapter when he first gets blood on his hands, he grimaces a bit and wipes his hands off on his pants.  It doesn't take long for him to have no reaction to the killings as time goes on.  So this quote shows where Jack began, and it foreshadows the savage beast he becomes later on.

   Sources:

   http://www.enotes.com/flies/chapter-1-summary-analysis

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   Posted by troutmiller on Sunday March 29, 2009 at 12:56 PM