In Lord of the Flies, by William Golding a group of English boys get stuck on an island in the Pacific after their plane crashes down. Two boys, Ralph and Jack emerge from the crowd to become the leaders of the island in an attempt to reinforce civilization amongst the boys. Ralph and Jack at first have the same vision to create a civilization that is both orderly and will increase the chances of the boys getting rescued, but throughout the book, Ralph and Jack take very different paths towards becoming leaders. What makes a good leader is one who is there to guide, manage, provide safety and to step up in tough situations. Ralph is a good leader throughout the book and generally cares about the boys. On the other end of the spectrum, Jack the other leader is with Ralph and his ideas at first, but quickly transforming into a power hungry savage who has a burning desire to kill inside of him. By showing that he has the initiative to step up and take control of a situation, to be responsible, courageous and determined to make the boys lives better on the island this shows that Ralph is the real leader of the island. Ralph is a successful leader, because he is responsible, courageous and determined to make the boys lives better.
Ralph on the island clearly shows the initiative to make the boys life better by trying to making the island feel like a civilization. In the beginning, Ralph gains a lot of power from the boys, but uses it to step up in situations that benefit the boys safety. “You hunters! You can laugh! But I tell you smoke is more important than a pig, however often you kill one. Do all you see? He spread his arms wide and turned to the whole triangle. ‘we’ve got to make some smoke up there – or die.” (Golding, 81). Clearly, Ralph is taking the initiative and to step up and argue against Jack in a situation that no one would want to do. By being the first person to stand up to Jack and his tyrannical views, he is showing that there are rules and the most important thing in a civilization is rules, because if you don’t follow the rules there is anarchy which creates fear and anxiety. He not only takes the initiative to create what feels like home, but also he shows that he is putting forth his best effort to try and get rescued. For example, Ralph and Jack see the kids playing and fooling around very differently. Ralph has the initiative to build huts which links the boys back to civilization while as Jack does not have a problem with none of his hunters helping and he has a compulsion that is swallowing him up to kill. “You wouldn’t care to help with the shelters, I suppose? ‘We want meat’ And we don’t get it.” (Golding, 51). This quote shows that Ralph and Jack are going on two seperate paths that are not alike. Ralph trying to link the boys back to civilization, thinks that Jack and his hunters should help, but Jack has this burning desire to kill thus creating a very frustrating environment for Ralph. For this reason, Ralph’s grip of control over the boys is slowly slipping away thanks to Jack’s desire for killing. In Chapter 4, Ralph and Piggy see a ship in the distance, but it is too late. They both run up the hill to try and get the ships attention, but it is too late, the signal fire was out, because of Jack and his hunters inability to keep the fire going. Ralph’s overall goal in the novel is getting the boys rescued and he tries everything in his power to do so just to be ignored by Jack.
To be a good leader, you need to responsible for your mistakes and also you successes. Ralph demonstrates responsibility to the boys in a manner that is highly civilized. “The storm broke. ‘Sit down !’, ‘Shut up’, ‘Take the conch!’, ‘Sod you!’, ‘Shut up!’ Ralph shouted.” (Golding, 82). This shows that Ralph is responsible enough to abide by the rules he set into place so that he maintains his “civilization”. His ability to make the boys feel secure and to easily resolve any problem on the island shows that he is responsible enough to be a man in a boys world. Additionally, in the beginning Ralph sets strict rules in place for the boys, because he wants the island to be like home. Some of these rules including using a designated toilet area, making sure the signal fire never goes out and finding water that they can drink. In the middle of the book, where Jack starts to take over, the boys choose not to abide by the rules thus creating failure. Also, Ralph creates meeting so the boys can talk about whatever they want to. He shows responsibility in doing this, because he wants to know how the boys are doing and what is bothering them. “He lost himself in a maze of thoughts that were rendered vague by his lack of words to express them. Frowning, he tried again. This meeting must not be fun, but business.” (Golding, 76). The littluns fear the beastie and have nightmares that they share with all the boys at the meeting. Jack dismisses the boys dreams and says that it would serve them right if anything ever ate them, but Ralph takes a more responsible approach and listens to the boys. Ralph comes up with the idea that the boys should wait until morning to hunt down the beastie, because it would be nearly impossible to defeat it at night. While doing this, Ralph shows responsibility by ensuring that everyone is safe and calm on the island.
An important trait to have when your a leader is to be courageous and determined. During Ralph’s time on the island, he shows immense amount of determination to be rescued and to survive. Ralph’s link to civilization is very strong and the thing he wants more out of anything is to leave the island and to go home. This determination occurs in the end of the novel, when he throws the pig’s head to the ground to defend himself against Jack and his hunters. Showing that Ralph is going to all costs to defend himself and get off the island represents that Ralph is willing to do anything to leave the island alive. In Chapter six, the boys discover a new part of the island that they have never been to before. They come across a narrow walkway that leads to a hill with small caves. The boys don’t want to cross it and see what is on the other side, but Ralph’s ability to be courageous shows up when he volunteers to check the area out himself. As a leader on the island, Ralph has to show the littluns what being a good leader looks like so he puts his life on the line when he enters the walkway. “Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of a man’s heart, and the fall through the air of a true, wise friend called Piggy.” (Golding, 202). This quote shows that Ralph is relieved that he was finally rescued, but he reflects on the idea that Piggy was actually a good friend to Ralph. Through admitting this, Ralph shows courage, because he is starting to realize that he was wrong about him.
Ralph in the beginning of the novel has full control over the boys and is even called chief. Throughout the book though, Ralph loses his strong hold on power, because none of the boys listen to him anymore. Jack becomes this savage that the boys end up following in the end which leads to total anarchy. Ralph represents civilization and its rules during the course of the book, but when Jack takes control, the rules fly right out the window and the island turns into an anarchy. The boys follow Ralph and agree with him in the first few chapters, but not long after Jack transforms into a full savage thus bringing the boys with him into savagery. The boys ultimately decide that Jack is the leader in the end, creating an island from what was a civilization into a full on free for all.
To finish, what makes a good leader is one who is there to guide, manage, provide safety and to step up in tough situations. Ralph is a good leader throughout the book and generally cares about the boys. On the other end of the spectrum, Jack the other leader is with Ralph and his ideas at first, but quickly transforming into a power hungry savage who has a burning desire to kill inside of him. Ralph demonstrates all these traits which makes him the successful leader for the first few chapters. Jack lacks leadership, but in the end taking control of the boys and making decisions on their behalf. Ralph is a successful leader, because he is responsible, courageous and determined to make the boys lives better.