“Symbolism is no mere idle fancy or corrupt degeneration: it is inherent in the very texture of human life” (Alfred North Whitehead). Throughout life, individuals unknowingly symbolize objects and even other individuals who affiliate with them. Over time, they will begin to see other individuals as what they represent rather than who they are, which becomes an important aspect throughout the rest of their lives. In the novel, The Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding, the characters of Ralph represents order and leadership, the character Piggy symbolizes intelligence and knowledge, and Jack illustrates chaos within mankind.
Ralph, who is the protagonist and plays the role as chief over the boys, represents order and leadership. Throughout the novel, Ralph attempts to keep the boys civil with each other by getting them to work with one another. From building a fire and shelter tents to making efficient rules to obey, Ralph gets the boys to all get along for a while, until they start to go stir crazy and break rules due to being deserted on an island for a long period of time. “We ought to have more rules” (Golding). As Ralph says this, he is referring back to when the boys just previously let the fire go out because of their carelessness as well as the fact that the boys were breaking rules and starting to act like savages. The character of Ralph plays an important role within the time period of all of the boys crash landing on the island to the point where Jack
To illustrate, when Ralph is addressing the boys about the importance of the signal fire after a few boys let it die, Ralph declares, “The fire is the most important thing on the island” (80). Since the signal fire is the primary, physical symbol of civilization, Ralph clearly believes that civilization, in turn, is the most imperative concept on the island to sustain. Ralph maintains this throughout the entire novel, demonstrating that his views towards the significance of civilization are constant. Since these values towards civilization never vary throughout the novel, Ralph clearly illustrates the leadership quality of having a distinct point of view that the boys follow. Moreover, as boys begin to become scared of the “Beastie” that lurks in the forest, Ralph calls an assembly where he states, “We’ve got to talk about this fear and decide there’s nothing in it” (82). Since Ralph believes that the boys must acknowledge that there is nothing to fear in the “Beastie”, he believes that the boys must ignore and stand against the savagery the concept of the “Beastie” represents. Ralph’s apparent opposition to savagery clearly represents the strong belief that the other boys follow because it strongly represents the prevention of the decline of humanity; since Ralph has these distict beliefs that boys follow, he portrays good leadership qualities. Even through the immense
Lord of the Flies in an allegory for humanity (or human society) because of the loss of civilization, and the savagery in the boys, and the symbolization that rely on them. Throughout the book, three characters and their symbols that were found are Ralph; symbol of leadership and responsibility, Piggy; symbol of intelligence, civilization, and science, and Jack; symbol of evil, violence, and savagery. Most readers choose those three because they feel that it is important to discuss, rather than the other characters in the book. Although it’s important, the readers also feel that they can connect to their symbols using man vs self (internal conflict). The allegory in Lord of the Flies ties all three symbols to the loss of civilization.
A character in a novel can represent a larger idea in society. In William Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies, each character is illustrated to represent a larger idea in society. Ralph represents democracy, Jack represents savagery, and Piggy represents a scientific approach.
Lord of the Flies has many meanings to it that are represented through the characters and their feelings. When comparing the characters in the Lord of The Flies, you can see the obvious change in most of them from the beginning of the book to the end. The two main characters are Ralph, the protagonist and Jack, the antagonist. Ralph and Jack both have different qualities and beliefs that define each of them completely and at times make them both alike in many ways. They both represent what we are and what they were, Civilized and Savage.
Ralph- Ralph is the main protagonist in the Lord of the Flies. He becomes a chief when everyone who survived the plane crash voted for him. In addition and in my opinion, Ralph is a dynamic character because when Ralph first meets everyone he treats everyone with kindness and equality. However, towards the middle of the novel, discipline is injected into his behavior and attitudes. Overall, Ralph is a kind boy who cares for people around him by trying his best to provide them to help everyone survive. He sets a main goal to help everyone on the island survive.
Ralph’s attempts to control the kids and maintain the peace on the island ends up being ineffective, and his commands during the fire went unheard as “the crowd swayed toward the island and was gone—following Jack” (37). Ralph’s way of leading through order and rules would have kept those on the island alive and well, but the kids did not desire to follow. They prefer the fun that coincides with Jack as their leader. Ralph lead the correct way through rules and order, but since the children lacked maturity and reason, Jack prevailed over
This exchange between Ralph and Jack showed as the leader, Ralph took responsibility for planning and doing tasks for the betterment of the boys. Unfortunately, most of the boys don’t want to help Ralph in jobs like building the huts because they would rather just have fun. Some people may say that the boys want a responsible leader to get of the island faster. That was true at first, but as time went on they lost hope in getting off the island and would rather indulge in the pleasures of the island. The evidence is, “I’m too tired. And what’s the good?”
The aspects of human behavior are illustrated in a symbolic way through the main characters in Lord of the Flies. William Golding’s Lord of the Flies is a representation of human society on an island where boys are stranded. The symbolic archetypes written in the story are a portrayal of human nature itself. Human nature is symbolized by the main characters where Jack is man’s inner evil, Simon represents kindness/conscience, and Ralph and Piggy are shown to be reason.
How would you survive if you were on an island with other little kids? Lord of the Flies was written during World War 2 however it was based during the Cold War. Ralph, a major character in the novel, allegorically represents the leader of the rest of the boys. Ralph believes he is the leader over everyone else. Ralph believes that he is the leader and feels like he has something to prove, ignores what Jack and his tribe thinks, and acts different from
The characters in Lord of the Flies, have symbolic meaning, which makes them as the kind of individuals around us. Ralph remains for human advancement and vote based system; Piggy speaks to wisdom and logic; Jack means viciousness and tyranny; Simon is the faith of goodness and righteousness. These effectively depict the nature of that society. The characters in Lord of the Flies have unmistakable symbolic meaning, which makes them as the kind of individuals around us.
A good leader is someone who leads or commands a group and has an open mind for others opinions. Ralph from Lord of the Flies, is a great example of this. At the beginning of the story, Ralph picks up a conch and blows into it like a trumpet to call all the kids on the island. This is an ideal example of being a leader, Ralph makes the decision on regrouping with the other survivors to help each other. Another example of Ralph being a good leader is when the little ones and everyone was all wild and uncontrollable Ralph calms them down and directs them to help them survive. Throughout the book Ralph shows that he is a good leader.
In the beginning of the book, the group maintains order, but as the book goes on, they start to lose it. Ralph was the elected leader, so he tried to command them into doing the right things like building shelter and starting a signal fire to be rescued. Almost all of the other boys don’t have the same plans. They are focusing on having fun and hunting for food. After a while, they start to succumb to a guy named Jack.
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.
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
Over 50 years ago, Sir William Golding wrote a story about a group of British school boys who become stranded on an island, and titled it Lord of the Flies. One of the main school boys is Ralph. Initially, Ralph is one of the most well-liked, smart, and responsible people on the island, so they make him the leader. Various forces, such as talk of a beast and the tribe dissolving into chaos, compel him to change, lest he succumb to madness, savagery, or death. He emerges a completely different character than he was at the beginning.