Lord Of The Flies Character Analysis

Ralph possesses the leadership skill of responsibility. Responsibility is being accountable for something or someone. In the first chapter of Lord of the Flies Ralph takes on the responsibility of being the leader on the island and the responsibility of setting rules. “We’ve got to have special people for looking after the fire. Any day there may be a ship out there…and if we have a signal going they’ll come and take us off. And another thing. We ought to have more rules. Where the conch is, that’s a meeting. The same up here as down there.” (Golding, pg.42) This quote shows how Ralph was taking on the responsibility of being the leader and of setting more rules. He establishes the rules and arranges meetings with his group to make sure everything is running smooth. Ralph also tries to make the “littluns” feel safe from the beast. Ralph tries to make sure that everyone on the island feels like they are safe

Plainly, even when he is leader, Ralph has an unsure mind. If there is a conflict he is not sure which side to agree with At the beginning, when most of the boys are not familiar with each other, Ralph sides with Jack: the tougher, seemingly better side; however, Ralph begins to side with Piggy: the more rational and intelligent side. To command the boys on the island Ralph uses his qualities

During this chapter, Ralph holds a serious meeting with the boys and reminds them of the old rules and new ones. After laying out the rules, Ralph discusses why “things are breaking up” (page 82). The biggest cause of this break-up is because the boys keep on ignoring the important rules. Ralph is very set on having rules because he believes they are extremely necessary, but many of the boys do not agree. This frustrates Ralph immensely because it makes their society chaotic and disordered. Though none of the boys, with the exception of Piggy and Simon, seem to agree with him, which shows that Ralph is already starting to lose his power as chief.

Piggy urges Ralph to use what power he has left by calling a meeting: “’What’s grown-ups going to say?’ cried Piggy again…The sound of mock hunting, hysterical laughter, and real terror came from the beach. ‘Blow the conch, Ralph...You got to be tough now. Make ‘em do what you want.’ Ralph answered in the cautious voice of one who rehearses a theorem. ‘If I blow the conch and they don’t come back; then we’ve had it. We shan’t keep the fire going. We’ll be like animals. We’ll never be rescued.’” In this situation, Piggy is still worried about the punishment of his previous life. He is the closest thing to an adult on the island, and Ralph is the only one who advocates listening to him, illustrating Ralph’s connection to the rules of traditional civilization, which the other boys despise and want to escape through the island. After showing blatant disregard to their “chief’s” rules, they decide to escape the constraints of Ralph’s assemblies and embrace their inner savagery with Jack. Piggy urges Ralph to blow the conch, the symbol of his power throughout the book, but Ralph understands that his form of leadership is becoming the less desirable option to the boys: if he calls an assembly and the other boys do not respond, its power, and his civilization, will have completely disintegrated. Ralph constantly emphasizes their responsibilities on the island—specifically, tending to the signal fire.

At the beginning of the book Ralph was one of the first characters introduced and by the time the first chapter is over its clearly known what type of leader he was going to be. He never liked conflict, but he stood up for what he thought was right. He made sure everyone was included, even Piggy, when making decisions or when he assigned jobs for the boys to do on the island.

In the beginning of the book Ralph is treated as an equal by the other boys due to his personality. '"He's not Fatty, cried Ralph, his real name's Piggy... a storm of laughter arose and even the tiniest child joined in'" (21). Ralph's personality is very similar to the others' because when he he acts immature the boys all feel that it's funny instead of telling him he's wrong and that he should apologize. Just after they laugh at what he has to say they are accepting him into the group. In the beginning of the book Piggy is outlasted because of his personality. '"'I was with him when he found the conch. I was with no. Before anyone else was.' Jack and the others paid no attention'" (24). Piggy's personality here comes off as persistent and, seeing as jack wasn't really persistent on being the chief his personality doesn't match up with him. When they don't allow Piggy to come along with them they are out casting him because, they don't understand his persistence because they never have experienced it. Piggy instead of coming across as want to help and just being persistent comes off as being pushy and annoying. In the middle of the book Ralph is becoming divergent from the group. "'That's dirty!' Laughter rose again...'" (80). Ralph has shown that he has finally grown up and he's starting to act like it as well. Just after

Piggy clearly requests Ralph not to reveal his nickname, but Ralph tells the other boys without his consent. Ralph does not stop the injustice shown towards Piggy or the humiliation he suffers. This reveals his ineffectiveness as a leader because he does not make decisions or take actions that are necessary for the wellbeing of everyone. Many more unfair incidents take place later on in the book that may have been avoided if Ralph realized the importance of Piggy earlier in the novel, before everything slipped out of his control. Furthermore, Ralph does not demonstrate concern for everyone’s safety. Piggy attempts to talk sense into the boys and make them realize their mistakes, however Ralph fails to take action when the boy with a mulberry-coloured birthmark disappears. His reply to Piggy’s question is “muttered [...] as if in shame”: “‘Perhaps he went back to the, the-’” (47). Ralph’s lack of empathy and initiative is clearly shown in this passage. By being unable to provide an explanation, Ralph proves that he does not view the disappearance of a young boy as a serious matter. He once again breaks the trust of the boys while they remain unaware of his unfair actions. Although a majority of the island’s inhabitants appear unconcerned, Ralph acts unjustly when he chooses to do the same. He does not take the responsibility to search for the boy with a mulberry-coloured birthmark. Instead, Ralph simply “muttered [...] as if in shame” and tries to

This becomes important because as the days go by each boy realizes that if they keep acting childish they aren’t going to survive. As this occurs to them, it doesn’t come so easy to Ralph, he continues to play and mess around while the Jack and Piggy try to maintain focus and order with the leader setting a bad example. This causes more and more disorder as the days drag on which isn’t good for their

In the novel Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding, a group of young boys get trapped on an unknown island due to a plane crash. While reading this novel one might come to realize “people were never quite what you thought they were,” (Golding 54). For example, Simon seems like any other preteen British kid. Jack also appears to be a regular kid. Piggy, too, is at first characterized as a total weakness. In the article “The Stanford Prison Experiment”, prisoners and guards also think they are kind and good, but soon realize they’re the complete opposite.

Ralph is the first character the readers are introduced too. He is seen as a cool and outgoing person. He then meets Piggy who then finds the conch. His first example of leadership is when he blows the conch, which brings the group together. This is one of numerous examples of Ralph being a leader in the first three chapters, Ralph is the one who starts up the meetings and commences them in an orderly fashion. “Ralph spoke to his back ‘no. We’re having a meeting. Come join in’”(20). The quote displays Ralph’s matureness as he sets the example for the other boys. There are no adults on the Island, so he quickly realizes that there will be a lot of commotion due to kids being on an Island by themselves. He steps up to the plate and calls a meeting which ultimately calms the boys down. Ralph is seen as a symbol of unity because he brings the boys together and has calm discussions with them, which allows the group to progress as the attempt to be rescued.

In Lord of the Flies, Ralph has the mental toughness as well as good physical status to survive the island. Sara Constankakis describes Ralph as, “The protagonist of the novel. He struggles with leadership, but he always keeps a positive message. Ralph is smart, for he knows what to do, and he always listens to Piggy even though he betrays him and is not a friend of his.” Ralph is the boy with the most strength in the mind, and he uses both of his attributes and he survives. For example, Ralph knows what to do when he finds Piggy after the crash. He gathers all the boys up and they meet everyone and elect a chief, in which Ralph is named chief. Ralph understands the situation, and he needs all the other boys to understand, so he says, “I’ve got to have time to think things out. I can’t decide what to do straight off” (23). Ralph wants the boys to know that all decisions will take some time, just like all political actions. Ralph needs to make sure he knows that he makes the best choice and that the choice benefits all of the boys more than it would hurt them.

Being stranded on a deserted island gives life to an abundance of problems. Ralph and the other boys have to deal with a multitude of survival problems such as maintaining a fire or building shelters; furthermore holding a leadership position among prepubescent is equally as challenging. Piggy and the “littluns” are on the receiving end of an abusive relation with the older boys. However, their roles in the group, intrinsically speaking, are not as significant as Ralph’s. As a result Ralph has to carefully consider the consequences of each and every one of his actions. This puts Ralph in a difficult situation because he has to deal with disobedient boys like Jack, all the while, he has to think of ways to ensure the group’s survival; even

While most of the other boys initially are concerned with playing, having fun, and avoiding work, Ralph sets about building huts and thinking of ways to maximize their chances of being rescued. For this reason, Ralph’s power and influence over the other boys are secure at the beginning of the

Ralph is the main protagonist in the story and he is the leader of the children on the island. Since Ralph was voted leader, he has the characteristics of leadership and he brings civilization and order to the story. Unlike the other boys, Jack and Simon, Ralph’s main focus is to get off the island instead of having fun. For example, Ralph tried constructing huts with Simon; meanwhile, the boys are playing and running off having fun. In the beginning of the story, Ralph’s power with the children was secure; however, towards the end, that power is being transferred to Jack. Ralph represents the

The theme of leadership is uncovered by the symbol of the conch. As the connection grows between the protagonist and the conch, outer forces break the bond in attempt to take the position as leader. Ralph along with other boys in Lord of the Flies by William Golding are trapped on an island due to the crash of their airplane. With no adults on the island to discipline the boys, one must step up and take on this role. The discovery of the conch encourages Ralph to become chief, Ralph has the ability to use the conch to enforce his rules, but the unfortunate shattering of the conch breaks Ralphs hold on to leadership.