How Does Lord Of The Flies Represent Democracy

Lord of the Flies uses many ordinary objects and characters to symbolize greater and more complicated ideas, one of these being democracy vs. totalitarianism. Ralph represents democracy because of his focus on group decision making. Ralph’s counterpart, Jack, represents totalitarianism with his abuse of power and dislike for all things symbolizing democracy. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, the characters Ralph and Jack are symbolic of the fight between democracy and totalitarianism due to their different styles of leadership, which ends in total destruction of the island. Throughout the novel, Ralph represents rational and orderly civilization, while working with Piggy to form a democratic-like society on the island. One of the first

Ralph focuses on the rational side of being stranded on an island. He wants order and tries to keep what he deems necessary as the main priority in his actions and leading. According to Hynes, Ralph accepts the responsibility of being leader, which he is not qualified for. Ralph took on this role and continued to act as leader when he realized the other option was Jack, which would end in chaos and savagery. He tries to start and preserve a rational and orderly society on the island, consequently giving the conch shell its meaning as a symbol of civilization and society on the island. Throughout the novel, Ralph tries to set up order on the island through the fire and the conch. Ralph gives the conch shell power at the beginning when he establishes its use to designate the speaker. He holds onto the symbolism he puts into the conch when the rest of the island has turned into savagery, until the conch breaks, representing the end of civilization on the island. In The Lord of the Flies, Jack represents savagery as an authoritarian dictator on the island. We are able to see Jack’s lust and desire for power from the