Ralph's Leadership In Lord Of The Flies

In his novel Lord of the Flies, William Golding presents Ralph as an obvious leader because he demonstrates the best leadership qualities and represents a connection to civilization and authority. Leadership can be defined as the qualities an individual possesses that can allow them to best organize a group of people to accomplish a common task and lead them to a successful future. Along with acting as a tie to society and order, Ralph demonstrates the qualities of responsibility, impartiality, and determination on the island and therefore is the greatest choice to lead the other boys. Ralph’s priority to get off the island demonstrates his wisdom and ability to make decisions. His understanding of the boys’ need for stability through government

Ralph’s initial possession of the conch shell, that he uses to summon the deserted children together, links him to the world of authority. Because it is used to control the boys, the conch acts as a powerful symbol of civilization and order like Ralph is. Being the first to find and utilize the power of the conch gives Ralph an immediate connection to authority and makes him the closest person to an adult figure on the island, demonstrating that he is meant to lead. Ralph employs the conch’s power in order to create rules among the boys and establish a level of society. By doing this, his leadership characteristics are demonstrated because he acts responsibly by creating an efficient method in controlling the boys to achieve their common goal. When first establishing control over the group, Ralph’s connection to the “most [obscure], yet most [powerful] conch” is obvious and among the other possible leaders in the group of boys he “[is] set apart” (Golding 22). Due to his link with the all-powerful conch, Golding makes it clear to the reader that Ralph deserves to hold power, because both he and the conch share ties to order and society that is necessary in a leading

He treats each boy equally, listens to their opinions, and does not rule as a dictator. When he holds power among the boys, his “government” is a form of democracy in which each boy has equal rights and an ability to express themselves. Using the conch as a form of order, Ralph creates the rule that anyone holding the conch can speak freely to the assembly of boys “and he won’t be interrupted” (33). By creating this rule, Ralph not only paves the way for stability and content among the boys, but gives everyone a chance to speak despite their age or experience, with no criticism from others. Using the democratic ideal of giving each boy a say, each person is able to state their point of view before deciding on anything. By both suggesting the boys elect a chief by voting, and make the rules of speaking, Ralph displays his ideals of law, order and democracy. Utilizing these concepts from modern society, Ralph is once again tied to civilization because his ideas help the boys preserve civilized living principles. With his fair treatment of the boys, Ralph develops a deeper understanding of them that the others boys are unable to achieve with each other making them unfit to lead. This leads to Ralph’s continual development as a leader and leaves him best fit to serve as the