Authority of Leadership in Lord of the Flies by William Golding

The boys don’t want to be told what to do. This is not only true in the book but is a simple fact of adolescence. For example, the American Academy of Pediatrics states that, “From time to time most children defy the wishes of their parents. This is a part of growing up and testing adult guidelines and expectations. It is one way for children to learn about and discover their own selves, express their individuality, and achieve a sense of autonomy.” (American Academy of Pediatrics) The same goes for Lord of the Flies. The reader can think of Ralph as the parent who has the best interest for his son/daughter and Jack as his/her’s disobedient troubled friend. In Lord of the Flies the boys are at a stage where the disobedient troubled friend has a significant pull compared to the knowledgeable parent. The friend’s opinion can trump the parent’s in real life and does in Lord of the Flies when in chapter 8 some boys leave Ralph for Jack. This is concerning and is one of the main conflicts in Lord of the Flies. The loss of leadership was inevitable for Ralph because the boys are at a point in their life where they cannot exercise good judgement. For example, Jack is over the moon telling Ralph and the boys about how he killed a pig. Ralph who has better judgement has to remind Jack and say, “There was a ship-” (Golding, 75) This shows that Jack and the hunters do not have a good sense of judgement because they don’t do the most

“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.” Abraham Lincoln. Once you give a man power, it all goes downhill from there. In The Lord of the Flies by William Golding, there is one group of boys on an island. The boys elect one chief, Ralph, but another bigun thinks he’s a better chief. So the other boy, Jack, leaves and forms a new tribe with most of the boys. After a little bit of time, the groups begin to fight resulting in a couple of tragic deaths. Why would people follow a corrupt leader like Jack? They follow them because they feel like the new leader can help them better than the old one; they think that the leader or ruler can provide for them and it doesn’t matter who that leader is, they will follow them because there’s no one else to follow.

Ralph woke up on the island and found a conch and a boy named Piggy. Piggy tells Ralph to blow into the conch and suddenly all of the other boys begin to emerge from the growth on the island. After agreeing that they are without adults the boys become concerned. Piggy says, “That’s why Ralph made a meeting. So as we can decide what to do.” (Golding, 21) A little later, the boys vote on Ralph to be chief. As chief Ralph wisely decided that there needed to be rules on the island. “We can’t have everybody talking at once. We’ll have to have ‘Hands up’ like at school.” He held the conch before his face and glanced round the mouth. “Then I’ll give him the conch.” (Golding, 33)

In society, there are often people who acquire strong leadership qualities and understand what it means to be a favorable leader. Other times, there are people who have strong qualities to lead, but they do not understand how to be a favorable leader and create a safe and comfortable environment for those following them. In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the characters of Ralph and Jack arise as two different leaders who bear strong characteristics and they both seek power on the island. The boys become leaders in their own ways, creating individual environments that prioritize different matters, all while trying to work towards their rescue off the island.

Over time there have been many leaders of countries, groups and societies that are believed to be the “best” or what someone could only dream of. However what if a perfect leader doesn’t exist? In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies Ralph’s sense of leadership declines throughout the novel. So what if he doesn’t actually possess the skills the boys had hoped he for.

Humans are a sophisticated and advanced race, one which possess the ability to affect their environment, and one another, in significant and often destructive ways. War is a catastrophic event created by humans, who upon creating it neglect to comprehend its far-reaching effects. The novel, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, places a group of prepubescent males into one of these situations. After an evacuation aircraft crash-lands, the boys are left upon a deserted island to manage and fend for themselves. As Golding details the trials and tribulations of the young men on the island, it becomes increasingly apparent that the children respect authority and require an organized leadership. The failure to manifest such a system will result in a de-evolution into savagery.

An early confrontation from Ralph can be noticed when the ship passes by with no fire. Jack boasts of hunting as Ralph exposes chance of rescue: “There was a ship. Out there. You said you’d keep the fire going and you let it out!” (70). In dissatisfaction, Ralph confronts, “They might have seen us. We might have gone home--” (70). Similar to Jack, Ralph decides to ignore the pride of killing the pig. By not acknowledging Jack, he is forced to accept the consequences. Ralph explains this in a straightforward way without room for dispute which allows clear understanding between them. Ralph continues to guide the group and keeps them under control. Although setting a concrete justification benefits all, he only focuses on the one goal of rescue without compromise. This establishes the desire of maintaining his level of control through outspoken disappointment. Ralph’s mistrust adjusts to worry as he expresses his thoughts on the conch. Piggy urges him to blow the conch but Ralph believes, “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” (92). Ralph fears that nobody assembling would represent their final loss of all morals. A conclusion is reached as Ralph establishes his inability to alter the boy’s actions. He avoids the conch’s use in

Lord of the Flies is a dystopian novel by William Golding and published in 1951, shortly after the end of World War II. The novel follows the ventures of a group of British boys stranded on an island and seeks to address the root cause of the rise of Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany. In Lord of the Flies, Ralph represents order and civilized society, while Jack represents Hitler and his fascist regime. Ralph’s shortfall lies in his myopic point of view, developed by his father’s influence. His lack of foresight in his leadership role results in the neglect of critical responsibilities, poor decision-making and a weak society, which then allows for the rise of Jack’s fascist regime.

Since 1910 The Boy Scouts of America have been teaching boys how to grow their leadership qualities. These qualities have been said to be learned through scouts. Learning that there are many different ways to lead people is a gem scouts teaches young adults. Although the three characters in Lord of the Flies and Beowulf all have different approaches to the way that they lead, all of them have major flaws that diture followers.

In chapter 5 Piggy and Ralph are faced with a difficult decision - to blow or not to blow the conch. Power was slowing slipping from Ralph’s hands when the boys decide Jack is more fun. During this time Ralph is unsure of his power, along with the conch’s. Ralph says, “If I blow the conch and they don’t come back; then we’ve had it” (Golding, 150). Once Ralph has spoken these words tension is rose. Sides have been taken between Ralph or Jack. Ralph, putting the thought of being rescued first. Jack, who puts the thrill of the hunt above all else. Choosing sides eventually leads to the tragic death of Piggy and the destruction of the conch. Golding writes, “Suddenly Jack bounded out from the tribe and began screaming wildly […] ‘That's what you’ll get [...] The conch is gone’” (Golding, 181). At that point in time all structure is gone. Ralph no longer has the conch, an object that made him chief in the first

In William Golding’s Lord of The Flies, the detriments of an unrefined civilization, such as one without leadership and indulgent citizens who are amoral, can be catastrophic, causing extreme repercussions to society. A lack of solid leadership, such as the arbitrary leader Ralph, can cause confusion, apprehension, and chaos. Jack and other children often indulge their impulses which clouds their judgement causing them to undermine their society. By not reinforcing the difference between savagery and humanity, many people begin to die. Ralph clearly is not well-equipped to lead a group of young men.

Golding intends to reveal that society is controlled by people through their actions, and individual performs, controlling how society is developed. In the novel, it is written, “All this I meant to say. Now I’ve said it. You voted me for chief. Now you do what I say” (Golding 62). This tells the reader that Ralph controls the society that the boys have created on the island. He tells the boys to obey him, hence, signaling he controls what they do. Furthermore, Jack tells his associates “We’ve got to have rules and obey them. After all, we’re not savages. We’re English, and the English are the best at everything “(Golding 38).

For example, Piggy says, "'We can use this to call the others. Have a meeting. They'll come when they hear us'" (Golding 16). Piggy's knowledge of blowing the conch shows the significance of it from the beginning of the book. The conch represents the authority on the island, therefore, when the authority is lost, the conch loses color. Ralph eventually understands the conch is losing power when he states, "'If I blow the conch and they don't come back; we've had it. We shan't keep the fire going. We'll be like animals. We'll never be rescued'" (Golding 92). Ralph is running out of options, and can no longer tame the other savage children. He does not intend for the conch to become useless to the other children. Ralph strongly believes the conch is the reason they all became a tribal unit, but when the conch loses power, the tribe loses civilization. Ralph and Piggy may consider the conch as the most influential piece of their civilization on the island, however, the other children regard the conch as a shell on the beach. The conch and other items on the island become neglected by the other

The discovery of the conch led to Ralph taking on the role of leadership. From the very beginning of the novel when Ralph meets Piggy and they find the conch, Ralph decides that he should be the one to blow the conch. “Ralph took the shell from Piggy” (Golding 16) without asking and proceed to attempt at blowing the conch. Ralph does not give Piggy a chance to try new things. Piggy had explained to Ralph how he was unable to blow the conch back home because his auntie did not allow him to on account of his asthma. In this instance Ralph was being a poor leader by not encouraging Piggy to try new things and reach out of his comfort zone. When Ralph does not have the shell in the beginning of the novel he is not responsible, but when he does obtain the shell he gains the leadership qualities that he needs to lead the group of boys. When Ralph exclaims "Seems to me we ought to have a chief to decide things" (Golding 22) to the boys, is when Ralph decides that he is going to be taking on responsibility as leader to keep the island in order. What Ralph signs up to do is proven to be a much harder task than he perceives later on in the novel.

The rules on the island are meant to keep order, but when they are broken, conflict arises between Ralph and Jack. Ralph makes one of his last attempts to keep his position as the leader and maintain order between the boys. Ralph exclaims, “‘I’ll blow the conch,” said Ralph breathlessly, “and call and assembly”. “We shan’t hear it.” Piggy touched Ralph’s wrist. “Come away. There’s going to be trouble.”’ (Golding 151). The conch is the symbol for civilization and order and when it is shown to lose its power, order is destroyed and the main battle between good and evil begins. After the feast, when Simon comes out from the woods, the boys see him as the beast and are eager to kill. Golding writes, “Piggy and Ralph, under the threat of the sky, found themselves eager to take a place in this demented but partly secure society” (Golding 152). This quote gives insight into the sinful thoughts