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Lord Of The Flies Character Analysis

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A single moment in life can help one realize one’s place in the world. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies the main character Ralph is shocked into the realization that power can corrupt one’s logic after he is shipwrecked on an island. Through this realization Ralph discovers that his place in the world is to stand up for what he believes is right even if it is not the popular opinion. He shows his comprehension of both realizations through two main events in the novel: giving the conch its power and the prolonged argument over the importance of the fire with Jack. When Ralph is first shipwrecked on the island he is afraid of what will happen to him and the other boys. Since the boys are a variety of school ages he worries about the …show more content…

He forces them to hunt, bring him supplies, and even risk the possibility of a rescue. The power Ralph gave to Jack corrupts him because Jack uses the power to control rather than work for the benefit of the whole group. Through all this Ralph is able to realize that his place in the world is to stand up for what is right. He exemplifies this by not fighting back at Jack. He doesn’t retaliate against Jack’s schemes but instead focuses on the support he does have and encourages them to help with the fire. Ralph shows his comprehension of his place and how power corrupts Jack through the events that surround the discovery of the conch. The argument over the importance of the signal fire is the main conflict in the novel. Ralph believes that the signal fire will be able to alert any passing ships to the boys’ presence. Ralph makes this his “campaign” as he speaks to the tribe about selecting a leader and the whole tribe agrees including Jack. However, Jack strays away from this group goal as he slowly begins to gain more power over the tribe after Ralph gives him power over the hunters. He becomes less and less concerned with rescue and more interested in his newfound power over his tribe. As Jack leans further and further away from the logical option of building the fire to create a smoke signal he slowly convinces the boys that hunting and having fun is more important. Moss says, “two different parties begin to emerge: those who

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