Ralph: A Civilized Leader
In the Allegorical Novel, William Golding presents the conflicts between civilization and savagery, and their consequences on society. Ralph, a civilized leader, would be the best suited chief on the island because his inclination towards civilization makes him a compassionate, rational-thinker, who has rules and priorities.
Ralph is elected democratically and is inclusive of everyone. His compassion towards the littluns gives him qualities of a successful leader, because he grants a voice to everyone. While settling on rules, he said, “We’ll have to have ‘hands-up’ like at school” (Golding 33), to give everyone a chance to participate in the rule-making process. Golding compares the school rules to Ralph’s situation, which also compares to a real-world leadership style, democracy. This comparison sheds light on Ralph’s leadership. Ralph says that they’ve “got to look after the littluns” (Golding 57), which portrays his responsibility and compassion towards members of his tribe, making him qualified for becoming chief.
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Right after his election, he demands that they “have more rules” (Golding 42) and takes it seriously when someone is “breaking the rules” (Golding 42). Golding uses a metaphor to describe his leadership style as a “firm handshake” because a firm handshake symbolizes trust, firmness, and sincerity. Piggy also describes his leadership, comparing “law and rescue” to “hunting and breaking things up” (Golding 180). This comparison showcases two contrasting leadership styles and their consequences on society. Law leads to rescues, which is Ralph’s approach, and hunting leads to breaking things up, which is Jack’s