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How Does Lord Of The Flies Represent Democracy

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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 …show more content…

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

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“And another thing. We can’t have everybody talking at once. We’ll have to have ‘Hands up’ like at school” (Ralph 25). Once he finds out that they were all trapped on the island, Ralph immediately forms a type of society that he is used to for the boys to ensure stability. This civilization is all based on the conch shell, which is used to construct gatherings and to let the boys have permission to speak.

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Golding compares the Lord of the Flies to a toy, flashing back to Simon’s hallucinations, using the element of imaginary. The death of Piggy and the shattering of the conch prove that corruption takes over when democracy is lost. With the island only being inhabited by corrupt savages, Ralph gives in and fights like a barbaric animal in an attempt to restore order. The irony is, in his attempts to restore democracy on the island, he is acting as if he were one of Jack’s savages; using the spear from the boar head to fight like a mad man. Democracy is taken over by selfishness, savage-like behavior, which causes corruption to take

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A Symbolic Moment Arguably, the conch shell is one of the most symbolic items in the novel; the moment Ralph blows into it, the boys are brought together. It is this pivotal moment that makes Ralph appear to be the clear choice for a leader. It is easy to understand why the boys gravitated towards him, their first sight of Ralph was of him sitting, "the conch trailing from one hand, his head bowed on his knees;" (Golding, 19) a clear image of confidence and strength. The boys are easily swayed by his symbolic power and when it comes time to choose between Ralph and Jack, the majority of the boys rush to support Ralph as their leader. Why did they choose Ralph?

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In Lord of the Flies, a group of British boys ended up stranded on a deserted island after their plane crashed. After establishing Ralph as the leader of the boys, he attempts to establish order by assigning roles to everyone and a system in which the holder of the conch may speak during an assembly. However, Jack, the antithesis to Ralph, sets up a hunting culture and disregards the use of the conch, preferring to speak openly, and sets up an authoritarian rule. In both of these groups, both establish right or wrong based on what is deemed beneficial to either Ralph or Jack. While Ralph seeks to uphold democratic values, opting to minimize the amount of time on the island, Jack looks for a more permanent solution through brutality and total power.

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1951 Words | 8 Pages

The conch shell plays a big part in Ralph’s authority and order. His leadership skills, along with the conch by his side, is what made the other kids on the island listen and idolize him. Golding glorifies the power of Ralph and his conch shell in order to represent control, which is important to the ongoing order and regulation of the boys throughout their time on the island. Without the shell, there would be no order among the lives of the boys on the uninhabited island. In addition to Ralph promoting the power of the conch, Jack also agrees and emphasizes that in order to run a society, there must be a strong and rational set of rules that needs to be followed.

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As a result, she continues to use and tell her lies to her advantage. As for The Lord of the Flies, Ralph represents productive leadership, civilization, and order in humanity because he has been elected as the leader. He creates rules that mirror civilized society by using the conch shell to call meetings. The conch, as the social tool, symbolizes

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Ralph is the protagonist of Lord of the flies, a novel that explores the natural behavior of man. Throughout the book, Ralph experiences a lot of character development, being introduced at the beginning of the novel as a handsome, thoughtful, charismatic person who is a natural leader, he quickly gains the support and respect of all the boys on the island and is promptly elected leader of the island. Ralph's election kickstarts a rivalry between him and one of the older boys Jack, who believes he should be the one in charge. Jack repeatedly challenges ralphs authority as Ralph's leadership is repeatedly put to the test.

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When his leadership is overruled, it is natural for him to continue in his ambition to survive, proving his maintained integrity as a character. His use of the conch allows for him to fulfill his need for organization, but its failure to function as a representation of equal power suggests Ralph’s inability to lead. His loss of power is not seen in his actions following his loss, sensing that leadership is not a necessity, rather independence is what leads him to his success. In effect by the evolution of barbarism and shameful

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Throughout the novel, Jack consistently demonstrates a disregard for rules and a desire for dominance and power. When he leads the boys in hunting and violence, he taps into their savage and primal instincts - including Ralph’s. As Jack proclaims, "The conch doesn't count at this end of the island" (Golding, 150) it becomes evident that he prioritizes dominance and power over order, authority, and the established rules on the island. In the midst of their destructive rivalry, Jack’s failures teach Ralph important lessons. Witnessing Jack’s inability to maintain the signal fire makes Ralph recognize the value of collaboration, communication, and planning for survival.

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In the novel, Ralph is the only elected leader, and throughout the story he works to ensure their safety while they have fun and play. With power, Ralph actually becomes better, and sanctimoniously leads for and with the people. He takes thoughts and ideas from other boys like Piggy and uses them to make them stronger. Ralph never loses hope and remains strong throughout the story. Ralph’s relentlessness can be seen when "Ralph took the conch from his [Piggy's] hands”, and states "This is our island" (Golding 34).

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Power in the Lord of The Flies In the story The Lord of The Flies by William Golding, A group of boys are stranded on an island with no adults, and are forced to collaborate and work together to survive. Throughout the novel two boys named Jack and Ralph, face off in a major struggle for ultimate power. As the novel continues, Jack uses many oppressive methods of ruling to keep the boys under his control. In the Lord of the Flies Jack is able to seize, maintain, and abuse power through scare tactics, fear, and aggression.

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Democracy is the power that the people have by voting. The people are the ones that are rightfully given the chance to have a say in who is going to get elected as a leader. The Lord of the Flies is a book written by William Golding. In the book there is a group of boys that get stranded on an island where there is no sight of adults anywhere. The boys have a leader Ralph who they look at him as a strong boy physically and mentally.

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Symbolism plays a significant role in Lord of the Flies by William Golding. Lord of the Flies is a novel about how a group of schoolboys, who crashed on a deserted island, eventually transition from civilized humans to savage beings. Several symbols are displayed throughout the novel; however, each of the main characters themselves, Ralph, Piggy, and Jack, are the most important examples. Ralph and the conch shell represent order, Piggy and his glasses represent science, and Jack and his mask represent savagery. The theme of civilization vs. savagery is exemplified through each of the boys and their objects and is a predominant theme throughout the book.

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In his novel, Lord of the Flies, William Golding utilizes characterization and imagery to depict Ralph as a democratic leader, Jack as a totalitarian leader, and Piggy and Roger as their respective advisors, creating a political allegory for the purpose of demonstrating how the evils of totalitarianism can corrupt the virtues of democracy. GOOD THESIS AND

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In the Lord of the Flies, we learn that everyone has a savage inside of us and While the Lord of the Flies was originally an allegory to World War 2, it also relates to today’s current events around the world. It relates to the American system of government in the ways of elections, the general runnings of the country, and the effects of the military and law enforcement on life. In the Lord of the Flies, There are two “candidates” that could possibly become the leader. This is extremely similar to the American election system because Jack and ralph represent the two political parties.

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