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Essay On Ralph In Lord Of The Flies

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Altogether, Ralph’s leadership, order, and civilized characteristics show that he embodies a democratic government. Ralph also helps extend the theme of Lord of the Flies by sticking with civilization. Ralph believes that for the group to get rescued and stay alive, they need to remain civilized. Piggy, Ralph’s right-hand man, also remains civilized and exemplifies political ideas. Not only does Ralph exemplify what it means to not stray from civilization, but Piggy also does too. Piggy is a short, chunky boy who is also stricken with asthma and poor eyesight and whose broad intellect sometimes gets the best of him. Piggy represents the services of rationalism, science, and intellect which society often forgets about. Piggy represents the forces of rationalism through his general thought process. Piggy is livid when the boys rush off to build a signal fire without giving Ralph a chance to process what they ultimately need to do first to boost the chance of the group getting rescued (Golding 45). Piggy does everything in reason, so it is no surprise that he explodes in frustration because the boys never give Ralph a second to speak and decide what they should do. Piggy’s rational thinking causes him to believe that they should light a small fire and wait to build a signal fire so they do not burn the whole forest down (Golding 45). Agnes A. Shields gives a nod to the rational pieces of Piggy by saying that he is the “group’s source of rational thought and knowledge” (1).

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