Power In Lord Of The Flies

At first Ralph is considered the leader but then at the end of the story, Jack gains power by killing the pig. Once he kills the pig, he feels that he has this sense of power and superiority that no one else has in the

Ralph represents order and discipline, while Jack represents an unhealthy drive for power and savagery. In the beginning of the novel, Ralph is voted the leader of the group and attempts to make life on the island disciplined and civilized, like their life in England. However, throughout the novel Jack rivals Ralph’s leadership role, attempting to overthrow him. As the boys’ savage impulses increase, more of them begin to side with Jack instead of going with Ralph. As Ralph loses his hold over the boys, almost all of them begin to act violently and barbaric. An example of this is when the children of the island murder Simon for no justifiable reason. Even Piggy and Ralph partake in the murder, showing that the violent human impulse is in

In the book there is conch which gives the beholder of it power over the rest of the group. Jack knows that the group is torn on who should be their leader, so he does whatever is necessary to get the conch and control the group. Jack knows that the only way to do this is to make the group turn against Ralph. With power on his mind his begins to belittle Ralph and make the group think Ralph hasn’t been a good leader. This happens when Jack says, “Who are you, anyway? Sitting there telling people what to do. You can't hunt, you can't sing” (Golding 238). The group then begins to trust Jack because Ralph seems inferior compared to him. Once Jack has this power he begins to think that everyone who isn’t with him is against him. This leads to Jack killing Piggy to stop and uprising from him and Ralph. There is no way that a 13 year old boy would kill another classmate unless he was fueled with power like Macbeth was. Jack isn’t the only one in the book to let power get the best of him, Ralph also falls victim to it. Ralph begins to disrespect his best friend on the island Piggy when the book says “Ralph pushed Piggy to one side. ‘I was chief and you were going to do what I said’” (Golding 132). This quote shows how Ralph is willing to harm someone he care about just to show everyone including Piggy how powerful he truly is. Both Ralph and Jack let power cloud their judgement which

The power-hungry will often feel the need for absolute control, hardly ever getting what they desire, they will often be portrayed as crazy and vicious. The same can be said for Jack; all he wants is to be the leader and make the decisions, but Ralph is the one in control. Jack’s desire for power is ruining his own image, and the well being of the other boys. Without the supervision of adults his morals and values took a turn for the worst.

William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies, explores what makes a person powerful, and the contrast between Ralph and Jack shows how power is gained for each of them. Ralph’s power comes from the mere fact that he has a conch shell in his hands, while Jack’s power is gained by him manipulating others and forcing himself into this position. This is due to three main reasons, which are:

We all know Lord of the Flies doesn’t end well nor has an happy ending, but if you followed an object as simple as the conch, you will realize that something so simple can cause an uproar in these kids expedition. These kids were stranded and left with all the resources they had, which was the whole island. To keep everyone in peace, the boys used the conch to let everyone know who is the boss, which is anyone that is holding the conch. The conch is powerful to the story because it symbolized something different to each character, leadership, power, a simple object, and a way to take advantage. The kids, Ralph, Jack, and Piggy played a big part of the story and is the reason why the story turned out the way is it.

Even though the docile and intellectual boy saves the children’s lives on several occasions and devises brilliant plans, he is still established as an outcast and is ignored by nearly every boy. As a mass of impulsive boys rush to construct and set fire to a massive wood pyramid, Piggy’s logical advice is viciously discounted by Jack, and begrudgingly noted by the other boys. It is not until the neglected boy’s forewarnings came true that Ralph began to respect the suggestions of the stout, disregarded

After Simon dies, Jack and his tribe start to gain control, and Ralph’s power and his innocence start to decline. Ralph knows that the conch is losing its meaning and he no longer is chief, the position of control. His youthful motivation, which was part of his driving leading forces is deteriorating, because of the creation of Jack’s new tribe, most of the boys have already gone over to his side, rather than staying with Ralph. However, his friend Piggy stays with him and reminds him that he is “still the chief” but “Ralph laughed again” in spite of that (156). Ralph knows that he is no longer the chief, he can see it in the amount of boys who have left to follow Jack.

Power is something that all humans want including Ralph, Piggy, and Jack in the Lord of the Flies. In William Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies, humans are guided by the desire for power, which can be used in many different ways. The desire for power is a heavily used topic in this book and plays an important part in humans lives today. Ralph gains power at the beginning of the novel, which slowly fades away into Jack’s hands at the end of the book. Power is used in many ways, including to control people and to lead people.

Until Ralph and Jack were bickering all the time. Then Piggy was also upset about the stupidity of the group. Ralph realizes that group is falling apart and convinces that they’re going to die. “Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and a wise friend called Piggy” Chapter 12 pg. 184.

Throughout the Lord of the Flies, Ralph and Jack actually share very similar characteristics, however there is also great difference in the way they use these qualities for their benefit and for the good of the other boys on the island. Ralph represents a more democratic government where the boys are allowed to have their voices heard. “I’ll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it while he is speaking… and he won’t be interrupted.” Through this the conch becomes a symbol of free speech.

In groups of people, there are always ones with better leadership qualities than the rest. The stronger power becomes the greater authority, and the others abide by them. Nevertheless, the strongest leader isn’t always the best. In William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies, Ralph isn’t the strongest person, yet he displays a better understanding of people, which allows Ralph to lead the boys better than Jack could. Although Jack and Ralph differentiate in their views, they both share the same passion, to earn the role of chief.

Ralphs small demands seemed to be too much for Jack, watching a fire and/or building huts which ultimately caused the first major incident in the novel. When the first opportunity for being saved arouse “You said you’d keep the fire going and you let it out!” causing a large argument in the once calm environment (Golding 74). Constant hassle by Ralph pushed Jack further and further to taking action against Ralph, and being an authoritative figure it makes more tense. The strict rules Jack was under built up his anger each day and as the days progressed he would only become more hungry for power demonstrating the effects power has on others.

Jack was once the leader of the boys’ choir and shows his savageness throughout the novel. Jack was never a true ruler and he could not accept this, so he had planned to take over from the beginning when Ralph was in charge. He even decided to organize a group of boys who wanted nothing to do with Ralph to show as his clan or village of savages. With all his denial for Ralph as leader he never learned anything and furthermore proved that Ralph should indeed be the leader of the boys. Ralph shows true leadership through many adversities he faced throughout the book, his friends’ deaths (which include Simon and Piggy) proved a true pain for Ralph to live through.

and most obscurely, yet most powerfully, there is the conch. The being that had blown that, had sat waiting for them on the platform with the delicate thing balanced on his knees, was set apart,” (Golding 22). The conch is an object of respect among the boys, as they stare at it with affection and are aware of its “delicate” nature. Not only does it’s pure nature add to the idea of respect, but it is also a symbol of power. Ralph isn’t the smartest or strongest boy on the island, however he earns his position by, “most powerfully”, blowing out of the conch.