Who Is Ralph A Good Leader In Lord Of The Flies

In the classic 1954 novel The Lord of The Flies, William Golding transports readers into the companionship of a group of young, English boys who are the survivors of a plane crash on a deserted island. Although leadership traits can be seen in many of the characters, the protagonist, Ralph, is written to be the chief of the boys' group. This choice is strengthened throughout the novel, as he shows obvious leadership qualities, including confidence, integrity, and commitment, proving himself to be the most competent leader out of all the boys. Ralph's capacity for leadership is evident from the very beginning of the novel. Right from the start, the boys notice that "there was a stillness about Ralph as he sat that marked him out"

As Ralph appeals to the majority of the population, the other boys look up to him and are "lifted towards safety by his words", which encourages them to follow his instructions (49). Although it is also mentioned that Jack is a natural leader, and even the most obvious leader, he leads with punishment and fear, which not only disheartens the boys but is the source of many problems in the later chapters of the novel. Even his choir was reluctant to vote him as chief as they raised their hands with "dreary obedience" (30). On the other hand, Piggy is disregarded by most of the boys. His physical appearance creates a subconscious bias against him, hindering his ability to lead the group. When the boys look at him with "eyes that [lack] interest in what they [see]", it is unmistakable that they will see him as a joke, rather than a figure of respect (57). Not only charismatic, Ralph is also seen to be both respectful and fair, areas where Jack appears to be lacking in. When the boys are attempting to start their first fire, one could argue that Jack possesses the intelligence to lead as he had the idea of using Piggy's glasses to start the fire. However, he proceeds to snatch the glasses off Piggy's face to accomplish this

As soon as he is elected leader, Ralph sets out rules and responsibilities that the boys must comply with to survive on the island, the most important being keeping the signal fire alive. All the boys start out following what Ralph has said, but what sets Ralph apart is his ability to humble himself down and continue doing those tasks despite the other boys disregarding them. Ralph has a far greater focus on the boys' shared goal—rescue from the island—which is why he is so upset about the fire being out. Jack is interested in the now, in the ways to have fun, and while this entices the boys, it is not an effective way to deal with their situation at hand. Ralph, however, has the boys' long-term interests in mind, and this is established as he creates rules that will help them stay civilized, and is shown through his own determination to reestablish and follow through with his own rules. Ralph leads by example rather than leading by orders, and this is what inspires Piggy, Simon, and many others to stay on his side until the end. Ralph also shows signs of being morally correct as he follows the rules of the civilization, even without higher figures of authority telling him what to do. Jack, however, experiences a very dramatic personality change. He starts off like the others, scared of the "enormity of the knife descending and cutting into