Lord Of The Flies Reflection Essay

Ralph being the main character of the book and always trying to find a way to get them off the island is the main good guy, and Piggy can almost be looked at like his sidekick. While Ralph was elected leader in the story he admits, to himself, that Piggy is smarter than him. Whenever Ralph freezes or is at a loss for words Piggy is there to remind him what he needs to say. He is the only person that never betrays Ralph even at the cost of his own life isn’t trying to join Jack’s side. Ralph is the main character and protagonist of the story, but he does have flaws. From the very beginning he never had the leadership skills to get everyone to work hard as a group. It almost seemed that as the story went on he didn’t become a better leader, but a worse one. He would always lose his train of thought while speaking to the group, and couldn’t make them feel safe. They were all afraid of the beast. What makes him the hero of the story, is that he never gives up on being rescued. He also doesn’t become a savage like the other children do. His mind is always on the fact that they need to get off the island, even when the others

Freed from the conditions of a regulated society, Jack gradually became more violent and the rules and proper behaviour by which he was brought up were forgotten. The freedom given to him unveiled his true self under the clothing worn by civilized people to hide his darker characteristics.<br><br>Ralph was introduced as a fair and likeable boy whose self-assured mad him feel secure even on the island without any adults. His interaction with Piggy demonstrated his pleasant nature as he did not call him names with hateful intent as Jack had. His good physique allowed him to be well accepted among his peers, and this gave him enough confidence to speak out readily in public. His handsome features and the conch as a symbol of power and order pointed him out from the crowd of boys and proclaimed him Chief. "There was a stillness about Ralph as he sat that marked him out: there was his size, and attractive appearance; and most obscurely, yet most powerful, there was the conch." (p. 24) From the quick decisions he made as Chief near the beginning of the novel, it could be seen that Ralph was well-organized. But even so, Ralph began repeatedly to long and daydream of his civilized and regular past. Gradually, Ralph became confused and began to lose clarity in his thoughts and speeches. "Ralph was puzzled by the shutter that flickered in his brain. There was something he wanted to say; then the shutter had come

He is often subject to harassment because of his weight. When taking roll call, Ralph introduces him as Piggy, so that “ a storm of laughter arose and even the tiniest child joined in” (Golding 14). As shown by this quote, even the youngest boys think they are better than Piggy because they aren’t chubby like him. He is much heavier than the other boys, which is one of the factors that sets him apart. He is never even given a chance to introduce himself; he is just given a nickname that exploits his weight. After this, Piggy never even tries to properly introduce himself. He knows that whatever name he gives will be rejected by the boys who view themselves as superior to him. Those who are isolated are also commonly made victims of. Once his tribe abandons him, Ralph is warned by Samneric about Roger and Jack. Eric says “‘They hate you, Ralph. They're going to do you. They're going to hunt you tomorrow”” (170). At this time, Ralph is considerably weaker than he was at the beginning of the story. He has no tribe to protect him, aside from a few littluns. Piggy and Simon are both dead, and Samneric now are joined with Jack’s tribe. Because of this, Jack can more easily target and kill Ralph.

In the story “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding, he shows how the boys lost all innocence and civilization. The boys went from having innocent child minds to taking lives of other people, acting savage, and losing all civilization due to problems on the island. The boys had forgotten where they came from and became savage in order to survive; it was the need of survival that caused the loss of innocence among the boys.

“ “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 comes back stronger than ever before in the final chapters of the novel. At this point, like Simon had before him, Ralph becomes aware of the savagery existing within all the boys—including himself. "That was Simon," he admits to Piggy, recalling the barbaric act he took part in. Even upon Piggy's death, Ralph still manages not to let the savagery overwhelm him, only momentarily considering joining Jacks tribe for safety. His firsthand knowledge of his aptitude for sin builds his motivation to throw down the Lord of the Flies near the end of the novel. By the time he finally realizes the evil on the island is within the boys themselves, it is too late for Ralph to fight for anyone but himself.

One of the strongest forms of adversity came in the form of a strong and outspoken boy Jack; Jack often overwhelms and disregards things that Ralph, the chief of the boys on the island, has said to be done. Ralph, we can see, struggles to hold his control over the group of boys when Jack refuses to believe the importance of these jobs. Ralph’s biggest struggle against adversity against Jack happens during a time of

He is a natural leader that tries to keep the boys focused on the end goal of rescue. When many of the boys begin to waver in their dedication to this goal, he reprimands them, saying “‘Do all of you see?...We’ve got to make smoke up there – or die.’” (Golding 81). He shows bravery when the boys are hunting the beast. When “Jack went red” (Golding 104) at the suggestion that he should confront the beast in its castle, Ralph says, “I'm chief. I'll go. Don't argue.” (Golding 104). A final example of his heroism is when he stands up for the weaker boys, such as the littluns (the younger boys) and Piggy. When Jack is angered with Ralph for trying to “Keep Piggy out of danger.” (Golding 101), Ralph says, “Have some sense. What can Piggy do with only one eye?” (Golding 101). Ralph is not afraid of becoming unpopular when he is trying to maintain order, but this may be one of his many unheroic flaws. Ralph is seemingly unable to comprehend that he must take into account what others want to do if he wants them to like him. He ignores their pleas for rest when they discover a castle-like structure and scolds them for not helping in the building of their shelters. While he may be right in the fact that they weren’t doing enough to help, he is harming his own image, contributing to the downfall of order. Additionally, Ralph is not immune to the inner evil within them all, as “Piggy and Ralph,

Ralph is regarded as a democratic and charismatic leader. He would base any decision on majority votes and he is all about getting a job done effectively and efficiently. For example, he would crack his head to build shelter and figure out ways to get themselves for being rescued. Eventually, majority of the group members become undisciplined and disobey Ralph’s commands and leave to join jack’s group. Consequently, Ralph, piggy and the twins are left on their own to be hunted by Jack’s tribe. Ralph is also a sensible leader; he only keens on being rescued rather than spending unnecessary time to go for hunting. As the novel progresses, Ralph witnesses the beating of Robert and finds it bizarre in chapter 7. Ralph is forced to hunt a boar for

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

William Golding’s masterful use of symbolism is exemplified in his book Lord of the Flies, in which he uses masks to represent . These masks come in many forms, and by careful study of events throughout Golding’s novel, one discovers their significance. Physical masks are used by many characters such as Jack and Piggy, and they are perhaps the least ambiguous forms found in the book. The idea of a mask encompasses more than just these literal interpretations, however. Metaphorical masks are used in abundance throughout the book, and much can be revealed about the characters based on how or if they chose to wear their masks. The significance of these masks is also tied closely to the theme stating Man’s heart is evil.

However, at the last chapter, Ralph begins to kills other boys in Jack's tribe in order to survive. He is slinking through the forest and he begins to think as a wild boar would. At the end, when Ralph is finally discovered by a Navy Officer, he is ashamed for all the civilization he has lost and reverts back to a naïve

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

However, as the group gradually begins to revert to their savage instincts throughout the novel, Ralph’s job of being leader slowly becomes of lower importance as Jack’s begins to rise. Most of the boys except Piggy leave Ralph’s group for Jack’s, leaving them alone, only to rely on each other for help.  Ralph’s need to have a civilized island and instill the morals in the boys was not being met, giving him a feeling of hopelessness and remorse. Towards the end of the novel, Ralph reverts to his old ways, questioning if they will ever make it off the island. Although, he fails to show his hesitation to the other boys, many worrisome thoughts roam through his mind. “‘I’m chief’, said Ralph, ‘because you chose me. And we are going to keep the

Jack’s group went and killed pigs for meat while Ralph’s group went for the fruits the island had to offer. Jack’s group focuses on power and hunting and Ralph’s group focuses on order and trying to get rescued. Under the cover of the dark night, the hunters and Jack attacked Simon; apparently thinking Simon was the beast of the island, successfully killing Simon in cold blood. Horrified by the death of Simon, Ralph goes into a state of confusion, horror, and slight guilt whilst Piggy tries to convince Ralph that they were just scared, it wasn’t anything else. Later, when confronting Jack and his tribe, Ralph and Piggy try to get them to see everything from their point of view, Piggy was killed by Roger.