Jack And Ralph Leadership Essay

Leadership in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies

The role of a leader is a constant struggle in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. Ralph and Jack, the two emerging leaders in the novel, fight back and forth to gain the discipline of the other boys on the island. They also fight for the power to make the decisions that they feel should be made. Both leaders are similar in their desire for control, yet different in their leadership qualities and their objectives while on the island. Ralph is organized; Jack is overly aggressive; and Ralph is focused. It is evident that Ralph is a more effective leader than Jack.

Ralph has proven himself to be an organized leader. At the start of the novel, before he is elected as chief, he uses the conch

The most fitting way to do so is to elect a leader and hold a meeting, all of which they are able to do when Ralph gathers them together. His plan is implemented when the boys vote for a chief. They elect Ralph as their leader, despite Jack’s whining requests to be picked, simply because Ralph has the conch. The boys do not elect Jack as chief, despite his leadership position in the choir and authoritative demeanor, because he does not have the conch, the key characteristic that makes Ralph appealing to the boys. The boys have come to identify it as a symbol of power and strength, so the boys identify whoever holds it as their chief. Ralph also illustrates his organized frame of mind when he establishes a division of labor on the island. “‘Three of us will go on an expedition and find out [if they’re on an island]. I’ll go [Ralph], and Jack and… Simon.’” (Golding 20). Like most elected officials, Ralph quickly realizes that he has responsibilities: to feed, to protect and to delegate. He turns the choir into hunters, puts Jack in charge of them, and has Piggy take the names of all the

In addition to delegating responsibilities, Ralph also organizes an expedition to explore the uninhabited island for the purpose of discovering, if it is, in fact, uninhabited. The expedition proves successful, for the boys discover that they are on an island and therefore, they are able to act accordingly, all due to Ralph and his effective leadership. Ralph’s organized frame of mind is further illustrated when he uses the conch to give every boy a chance to speak and voice their opinions, no matter their age. “‘We can’t have everybody talking at once. We’ll have to have ‘Hands up’ like at school… I’ll [Ralph] give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he’s speaking.’” (Golding 31). Ralph understands that with no adults around to help regulate their behavior, the boys will need to take care of themselves. To do so, they need order, which Ralph establishes by instituting some rules, like the one in the aforementioned quote. Ralph tries to compensate for the lack of adult presence on the island by taking recognized concepts from back home, such