Ralph's Leadership In Lord Of The Flies

One could imagine that children being stranded on a deserted island with no parental supervision is a recipe for disaster, but it is beyond most human comprehension that it would end up as badly as it did in Lord of the Flies. When the boys are first stranded on the island, most of the boys are less concerned about their survival and getting off the island as they would rather play on the beach and in the water. As the book progresses, most of the boys abandon the values of civilization and turn to defects of human nature as they become savage and lust for power. However, in the midst of all of this, one boy maintains his humanity and rises above the rest. Ralph is an intelligent and civilized character who uses his common sense and gift of

This comes as a surprise as the only other person to run against him, Jack Merridew, was already the leader of the choir boys and had prior connections with some of the individuals who were stranded on the island. While the entire choir did vote for Jack, it was not enough votes to beat Ralph. Ralph, who was told to not call Piggy ‘Piggy’, even got a vote from Piggy, who still voted for Ralph even after he called him his unpreferred name in front of all the other boys. After the vote took place, everyone, even those who voted against Ralph, cheered after Ralph had been elected. The book states, “The circle broke into applause. Even the choir applauded (Golding, 22).” He also exercises his leadership skills right away, designating a group of boys to hunt for food. In addition, he expresses maturity as he puts Jack, his political rival, in charge of the hunters. A good leader puts individuals in a place where they will thrive the best, which is what Ralph does

In Chapter 9, all of the boys attack and kill Simon, thinking that he was the beast. In Chapter 10, Ralph, Piggy, Sam, and Eric all reflect on the night before, when they killed Simon. While all the other boys are denying their involvement in it, making excuses and lying, Ralph is the only one who accepts that what he did was murder and that what he did was wrong. Ralph states, “That was Simon...That was murder” (Golding, 186). By accepting that what he did was wrong, Ralph preserves his humanity while all the other boys are starting to become savages. The world around them has started to change them, yet Ralph remains unchanged. Ralph’s civility is also shown near the end of the book. In Chapter 12, a naval officer discovers the island and sees Ralph. When the officer addresses Ralph, Ralph is not relieved by being saved from being killed by Jack’s tribe. Instead, Ralph becomes conscious of his “filthy appearance” and is discomforted. Considering that he was more concerned with how he looked in front of an adult than potentially being killed, it shows that Ralph’s civility remained intact even after all that happened on the