In Lord of the Flies, why did Jack wear a black cap on his red hair? Why were the details of a black cap and red hair included?

The teacher who commented on this left out the fact that these caps are a symbol of the boys' descent into savagery. Each time Golding mentions them, they have deteriorated. In chapter one, the caps are addressed as "square" and black (Golding 19). Further along in the novel, the boys are seen as nearly naked yet still wearing the REMAINS of a black cap. This word "remains" is obviously quite important. In the very last chapter Jack is described as wearing the "remains of an extraordinary black cap" (201). "Remains" are just a fragment, just a trace of what once was. The boys, who come to be called "savages" (with good reason) have only remains of their past CIVILIZED lives. This is seen in very small, seemingly inconsequential quotes such as "[Jack and Ralph were] unnerved by each other's ferocity." (179)