Ralph's Development In Lord Of The Flies

At every school, there’s those “cool boys”. The football players, the ones who sprint through the hallways and knock people into walls. Upon looking at them, one might wonder: How did they end up like this? In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, a group of adolescent, immature boys end up stranded on a deserted island and are simultaneously thrown into the fight for power and survival. Ralph, one of the first characters introduced in the novel, and a lot of his struggle in the book is fighting for power with the typical, cookie-cutter “cool boy” one might see at a modern-day school. Ralph himself begins with similar behavior as a reckless “cool kid” might, but after his humbling experiences, he goes through some realizations

After that incident, almost immediately, the reader can see that he is beginning to think more, an example of this being when he was sitting on the chief’s seat “[falling] into [a] strange mood of speculation” which is “foreign to him”, as well as his realization that if he were a chief he “[has] to think, he [has] to be wise” (78). Ralph is beginning to acknowledge not only his flaws, but evidently, how unusual this analytical thought is for him. However, some of this recognition of his flaws also sparks doubt within him. This doubt is shown, perhaps the most strongly in the book so far, when he is conversing with Piggy and Simon and says he “ought to give up being chief” (93). It is with this self-doubt and new sense of awareness that a reader will begin to see some sort of change in Ralph, as ultimately, this reflection on himself is the catalyst for how he develops by the end of the story. While progressing through the novel, the reader will see that Ralph’s newfound self-awareness continues to be built upon for the remainder of the

His new sense of awareness is exemplified when he and Piggy are talking about what they did to Simon, and Piggy is denying the true nature of what they did. Meanwhile, Ralph “rocks himself to and fro” and says, “don’t you understand, Piggy? The things we did-”, showing strong contrast from his clueless self in the beginning of the novel, as he is now making light of reality and his own actions (156). He finally realizes the weight of everything that has happened at the very end of the story, when he “[gives] himself up to them” and he “[weeps] for the end of innocence” and the “darkness of man’s heart” and perhaps one of the most powerful things, “the fall through the air of a true, wise, friend, called Piggy” (202). Not only does this display his realization of what they have done, but it also shows the contrast between how he viewed and treated Piggy from the beginning of the story to the end, which is one of the most important factors that shows his change throughout the story. His relationship with Piggy and how Ralph thinks of him has changed because of the way Ralph reflected on himself and his flaws, causing him to begin to see the hidden strengths in others. This increase in thoughtfulness and contemplation of himself and his surroundings, in time, is what