Lord Of The Flies Ralph And Jack Relationship

Throughout the Lord of the Flies, Ralph and Jack are seen to have a very unstable relationship and conflicting ideals. Their ideological conflicts and personality differences cause them to clash in many events throughout the book. Their differences had such a huge effect on their relationship due to both of them vying to either maintain their position or become the leader of the tribe. Over time, their disputes grow in severity until a permanent rift is created between the two and, subsequently, all of the boys on the island. Ralph and Jack have the most meaningful relationship in Lord of the Flies, as they maintain an amicable relationship in the beginning, but later their partnership turns into a struggle for power, pushing all the boys on

In order to appease an upset Jack, Ralph offers to make Jack’s choir boys the group's Hunters, which Jack accepts. After coming to a tenuous solution, “Jack and Ralph smiled at each other with shy liking…Jack laid his on the trunk by Ralph…Ralph glanced at them admiringly, and when Jack saw his glance he explained”(Golding, 23). This compromise begins a hesitant alliance between the two boys, as Ralph and Jack smiling at each other show a small rapport being developed between the two, as Ralph gains the position of leader but Jack also is given his own position of power. The newly settled dispute causes the two to develop a relationship of mutual respect towards each other and their abilities. In the second chapter, the children climb the mountain and decide to build a large fire

With Jack holding power over most of the island, and Piggy’s glasses, Ralph has no choice but to go to Castle Rock with Sam, Eric, and Piggy to confront Jack. When arriving, the guards take Sam and Eric away from Ralph, leaving him and Piggy alone. Jack arrives at the gate, and he and Ralph engage in an aggressive verbal fight, causing Jack to become outraged and push a boulder down the hill. Ralph manages to dodge the boulder, but Piggy is hit and killed. Moments later, Jack runs out and exclaims "See? See? That's what you'll get! I meant that! There isn't a tribe for you any more! The conch is gone―"(Golding, 181). Ralph now has lost Sam, Eric, and Piggy, and has no one left from his tribe. There is no hope for him to rebuild or start a new tribe, or join Jack’s tribe. Even the conch, which was a symbol for the power that Ralph had, has been completely destroyed, symbolizing how Ralph’s power is gone forever. He is now all alone, and being hunted by Jack and his tribe. Ralph has lost all the authority he started with, while Jack now has gained all of the power of the island and defeated Ralph in the battle for