“There is a way that seemeth right unto man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” (The Bible, Prov. 16:25). Thoughts that come to men stem from their participation in society or their natural state of good and evil. However, society’s morals mask the natural man—who is more vulnerable to natural evil than good. Because of this, every man is susceptible to ignorance and savagery. William Golding exemplifies this idea in his novel Lord of the Flies. When a group of military boys find themselves stranded on a deserted island, their ignorance soon leads to the inevitable savagery present in the end of the novel. The maturation process of Ralph illustrates the fight between man’s tendencies of natural evil and natural good when morals …show more content…
At the time, Ralph heavily influences the boys and their actions for he resembles “the men with the megaphones” (18). He attempts to create order among the boys with rules, but most of the boys would rather play than follow the rules—for there are no adults to enforce them. With the role of leadership thrust upon him, Ralph has no choice but to stop playing games. His goals are to protect the boys and increase their chances of being rescued; however, the responsibility on Ralph’s shoulders soon begins to weigh him down. As “Ralph [watches the boys], envious and resentful” (75), the obligation to care for everyone on the island is a heavy burden to bear. His role as leader has forced Ralph to forget the joys of being an innocent kid and given him the encumbrance of responsibility, which causes the start of his maturation. As the order on the island begins to break down, Ralph tightly holds onto the idea of rescue. On the island, every responsibility is on his shoulders and will be until they leave. As he ponders his feelings, “he [loses] himself in a maze of thoughts that were rendered vague by his lack of words to express them” (76). Daydreaming about home expresses his longing for civilized life and comfort; remaining in a state of innocence. However, he has matured a great deal since the beginning of the novel. As the leader, Ralph is held accountable for the group of boys. His recognition of this idea demonstrates his maturity, but also his longing
Both of the boys change a lot during their stay on the island. Ralph begins the novel as a leader and role model to the other boys. But eventually, the group gives in to savage instincts and Ralph's position
Both of the boys change a lot during their stay on the island. Ralph begins the novel as a leader and role model to the other boys. But eventually, the group gives in to savage instincts and Ralph's position
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
Every group of people has a leader, object or mantra that represents what the group needs or treasures the most. This can be observed in the newest fashion trends that symbolize beauty and sophistication to a group of teenage girls, the newest iPhone or tablet to symbolize wealth to a group of rich businessmen, or even a flag to symbolize our nation. William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies explores this concept of giving a normal object great power by using it to convey an ideology of a group of people. Golding describes a world where there is no civilization, and the only connection to the civilized world is through the objects that represent different aspects of it. This essay will
Ralph starts out making the island seem fun, that this is a grand adventure they’re on. But he also believes that they need rules and order, so they don’t become savages and forget who they are. This is why he uses the conch to create order and a system of rules. Ralph becomes leader and starts giving people jobs and making a fire become the most important thing. He wants to be rescued and is trying to get them off the island as fast as possible. “While we’re waiting we can have a good time on this island… It’s like a book.” Ralph is trying to make light of a bad situation and making the island seem like a utopia that the boys can explore. In life people do this all the time, they sugar coat the truth to make it seem like it’s better that it is or fun when in
“ “Shut up,” said Ralph absently. He lifted the couch. “Seems to me we ought to have a chief to decide things around here.” (Chapter 1, Page 22) Ralph immediately notices the boys need some leadership his natural choice is to help guide these boys. He, however, lacks this responsibility. He doesn't continue to command respect from the boys. Ralph grows up faster in the book due to Jack. Later Jack breaks the tribe apart with his appealingly savage ways. Jack ended up establishing a hunting tribe. Once the tribe breaks Ralph tries to bring it back together, but since he didn’t have solid leadership skills even though he might have developed some compassion. He tries to convince Jack that he is still in charge and has power over the boys. The changes Ralph undergoes, from self-centered to group centered, doesn't reflect the island as a whole. They are all too elated to abandon the trappings of society.
Ralph's character is progressively broken down throughout the novel, only to be rebuilt stronger, and more knowledgeable in the end. If it wasn't for Ralph being hunted by Jack's tribe, the island would never be engulfed in flames; the boys would never be rescued. Thus, he also serves as the key character to the resolution of the novel. The events of the story prove that in a typical society, evil may gain control on occasion, but ultimatelyeverything will be balanced
Through Ralph being the leader on the island, it shows him as a morally ambiguous character struggling with man’s innate evil. Ralph is clearly struggling to maintain calm when he says, “‘I was chief, and you were going to do what I said. You talk. But you can’t even build huts--then you go off hunting and let out the fire--’” (Golding 70-71). Ralph talks about him being chief in the past tense as if he no longer is because from the ways the boys are acting, he does not feel that he is being respected. Ralph is annoyed that instead of building shelter the boys play in the water and that instead of manning the fire, the only chance for the boys to be noticed, they decide hunting is more important than being rescued. Ralph means well by these orders, he wants to see that every boy on the island survives. At the same time he is struggling to be calm and he is not doing a good job at it. Also as the leader Ralph is not the one
Ralph's common sense and ability to recognize what is best for the group also shows his excellent leadership skills. His main focus throughout the book is getting rescued and tells the boys to make a fire and to keep it burning to make a signal. However, the boys do not listen and he becomes angry. "The fire is the most important thing on the island. How can we ever be rescued except by luck, if we don't keep the fire going?" (p. 86) Ralph's determination to get rescued is not only for himself, but for everyone else
Human nature is complex. It may take over an individual’s mind in many desperate and threatening situations. In Golding’s compelling novel, Lord of the Flies, it is implied that the evil, or bad side of humanity will overshadow the good. However, there are certain situations present in the novel that portray the opposite. The depiction of human nature in this novel creates a nice balance between the positive and negative aspects of humanity. Although Golding’s novel is portrayed as pessimistic, Ralph’s words and actions when dealing with various situations, Sam and Eric’s loyalty to Ralph, and the boys’ rescue at the end of the novel contradict this idea, creating a commendable balance of pessimistic and optimistic situations.
When Ralph first arrives on the island, he is a civilized leader. When he learns that no adults inhabit the island, “the delight of the realization overcame him” (2). He admires the beauty and laughs as he swims in the salt water. Almost immediately, he draws the boys on the island to him by the use of a conch and the group elects him their leader as a result of his fair appearance and possession of the conch. After exploring the island, he tells the boys that “This is our island. It’s a good island. Until the grownups come to fetch us, we’ll have fun” (27). It is apparent that Ralph wants to have civilization on the island as he starts
Despite the progression of civilization and society's attempts to suppress man's darker side, moral depravity proves both indestructible and inescapable; contrary to culturally embraced views of humanistic tendencies towards goodness, each individual is susceptible to his base, innate instincts. In William Golding's Lord of the Flies, seemingly innocent schoolboys evolve into bloodthirsty savages as the latent evil within them emerges. Their regression into savagery is ironically paralleled by an intensifying fear of evil, and it culminates in several brutal slays as well as a frenzied manhunt. The graphic consequence of the boys' unrestrained barbarity, emphasized by the
After rallying the boys from all around the island Ralph calls a meeting. At the meeting he tries to create order by having the boys elect a leader, all of the choir boys vote for Jack but the rest vote for Ralph. Ralph wins the vote. He starts organizing a way to survive. First, he assigns Jack and the rest of the choir boys as the hunters. Later he has the boys build huts for them to live in until they get rescued. He also assigns shifts for the fire to help as a signal and to get rescued. He constantly shows leadership and sense of
A primary aspect revealed in Ralph’s character is his focus of the goal of being rescued. As defined by Peter Economy in “The Nine Traits that Define Great Leadership”, leaders consider their options when planning and choose the ideas that lead their ultimate goal. The tasks that Ralph focuses on accomplishing are all targeted to getting rescued. Ralph states, “We want to be rescued, and of course we shall be rescued” (Golding 37). Ralph shows that he is determined to accomplish his mission of being rescued while giving his peers hope and guiding them. Ralph’s focus uplifts and guides the boys trapped on the island.
Even though Ralph is a young teenage boy he still possesses the characteristics of a grown man. He shows us courage, responsibility, strength, hard work, and most importantly leadership. One nautical day everything changed for Ralph and his schoolmates after becoming stranded on an uninhabited island out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The boys claim they were shot down, but no one knows for sure what had happened. Somehow everyone survives the plane crash except for the pilot which means the youngsters were without any adult supervision. Ralph’s childishness was soon to show as he runs around cheering with his clothes off. In the book Ralph is distinguished as a handsome fair looking boy with blond hair and gold looking