In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, Golding describes the individual journey of Ralph, one of the main characters, throughout the book. Stranded on an island, Ralph and the other kids try to do whatever it takes to try to get out of there. However as days go by and the days are decreasing , so is everyone else’s mental stability, especially Ralph’s. Ralph’s power starts at an increase but then drastically decreases as time goes by. In the beginning of the book, Ralph is described as “fair”(Golding 7) and seems to be really happy as he says, “No grownups!” (8). As he gets ahold of the conch, he becomes chief of everyone and gets started right away to try to create shelters and a fire. Ralph sets up rules for each person and this symbolizes that Ralph is somewhat in a powerful position. …show more content…
It is said that “he found himself understanding the wearisomeness of this life” (76). This shows that Ralph is very skeptic of the thought of being rescued. In addition to that, Jack has split from the group and has formed his own and has been luring for more and more littluns to join his group and to leave Ralph’s, leaving Piggy to be one of the only people supporting Ralph. He does not even have the motive to fight Jack back when he comes and attacks Ralph and Piggy’s shelter late at night. Though however, at the end of the arc, Ralph is back with full power as a naval officer asks who has been in charge and Ralph says, “I am” loudly
In the novel the lord of the Flies, Golding uses Ralph’s responsibility and Jack’s persuasiveness and authority to argue that effective governments must be both fair and able to keep peace in a country.
Even the most sensitive boys go with a character arc that goes back to a decrease from innocence. When Ralph is first introduced at the beginning of the book, he is acting similar to a child, splashing the water with piggy, mocking him and laughing. Ralph also tells Piggy that he knows for sure that his father, a naval commander, will rescue him including the others. Ralph continues the belief in their rescue throughout the book without giving up, changing his hope that his own father will discover them, with a passing ship that will be alerted by the large fire on the mountain. Towards the end of the novel, he has completely lost hope in the rescue. The progress of Ralphs character from pursuing his dreams to not having any kind of hope shows
German journalist John Zenger once stated, “Great leaders are not defined by the absence of weakness, but rather by the presence of clear strengths”. When one is forced into a situation where a leader is necessary, a person that displays the fundamental attributes will successfully guide the society. Throughout the novel Lord of the Flies, the boys on the island represent various aspects of leadership, characterized by differing strengths. However, the protagonist’s, Ralph, leadership undoubtedly triumph over the other boys because his attributes allow him to be a powerful leader on the island. Throughout William Golding’s novel, he clearly depicts Ralph as an effective leader through his desire for the survival of all of the boys, his adamant
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.
Imagine a world without order. A world with no leadershipno rationality whatsoever. Take Ralph's character away from the equation and William Golding's Lord of the Flies would be just thatchaos. Being the protagonist of the novel, Ralph is the major representative of civilization, order, and productive leadership. If it weren't for Ralph's coordination, determination, and logical thinking, the boys would never be rescued, and would eventually die. As the novel progresses, Ralph's self-confidence is gradually chipped away, leaving him only enough strength to fight for the one person who should matter mosthimself.
A good leader needs to have confidence in their knowledge and experience to be able to lead others. Ralph shows this confidence through his initiative. When a situation occurs on the island, Ralph is one of the first people to react and step up and take control. Ralph uses the conch as a way to show authority among all of the other boys. By maintaining order with the conch to hold meetings, Ralph is showing initiative. He attempts to tell the boys what to do so that they can survive. When most of the boys are off playing games, Ralph takes it upon himself to build huts. One major event that truly represents initiative on Ralph’s part is when he notices a ship in the distance, and runs all the way up the mountain to try and light the signal fire.
There are many ways a person can be a Hero! Sometime it is the main character of the book, or sometime it could be an average person. In Golding’s book “Lord of the Flies”, Ralph is being portrayed as the leader and the hero. In the story the Lord of the Flies it’s about a group boys on a island after their plane is shot down. Since they are alone, they are free from the rules of civilization and society. This will lead to slowly descending into savagery. Soon the boys start having conflicts and they split into factions. One faction members are peacefully and work together to maintain order and achieve common goals. While the other faction are rebels
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
Secondly, Ralph is not only a rational leader but also a moral person, who cleverly keeps the fairness in his group. “Ralph, looking more understanding at Piggy, saw that he was hurt and crushed. He hovered between the two courses of apology or further insult ‘Better Piggy than Fatty” (25). Ralph is sincere and considerate for other people. He apparently understand their feeling and particularly shows his sympathy for Piggy. Ralph is sensible enough to realize that everyone deserves to be respected. He believes no one should have to put up with being tormented. Ralph gently gains others’ support by treating them equally, showing his compassion and ability to empathize with them. Opposite to Ralph, Jack is immoral, violent and condescending. “He’s going to beat Wilfred” (159). He does not care or understand the natural equality of
He saw what humans were capable of and watched as his friends began to revert to their savage nature. He weeps for the “loss of innocence, the darkness of a man’s heart, and the fall through the air of the once wise, true friend called Piggy.” It is at this point that Ralph matures, as when he cries, he cries for everyone and everything. He realizes that life isn’t so simple and that it, along with other humans, are complex and unpredictable.
Ralph shows a great of courage and determination to be rescued, during his time on the island.Ralph commitment to society and morality is strong, and all he wants to do is leave the island and go home.As a leader,Ralph has to set an example for the boys on the island, and has to face many obstacles alone.This is why Ralph has to show courage and determination. "Ralph went for the end of innocence , the darkness of a mans heart, and the fall through the air of a true,wise friend called Piggy (Golding 225).This quote concludes the novel and shows how Ralph is relieved and accomplishes his goal of being rescued, and how he reflected back on the memories on the island, the memories of his good friend Piggy. Just before Piggy died he makes a valiant
We see throughout the beginning of the novel Ralph is struggling to get all the boys to help him build the shelter, and the others are still goofing around. This shows so much about how great of a leader Ralph will be and this is why he deserves to be a
Ralph's common sense and ability to recognize what is best for the group also shows his excellent leadership skills. His main focus throughout the book is getting rescued and tells the boys to make a fire and to keep it burning to make a signal. However, the boys do not listen and he becomes angry. "The fire is the most important thing on the island. How can we ever be rescued except by luck, if we don't keep the fire going?" (p. 86) Ralph's determination to get rescued is not only for himself, but for everyone else
Ralph is the main protagonist in the story and he is the leader of the children on the island. Since Ralph was voted leader, he has the characteristics of leadership and he brings civilization and order to the story. Unlike the other boys, Jack and Simon, Ralph’s main focus is to get off the island instead of having fun. For example, Ralph tried constructing huts with Simon; meanwhile, the boys are playing and running off having fun. In the beginning of the story, Ralph’s power with the children was secure; however, towards the end, that power is being transferred to Jack. Ralph represents the
To further illustrate, in “Lord of the Flies” the character, Ralph, is a round and dynamic character. Ralph can be classified as this type of character because of the changes he undergoes as the story unfolds. To explain, at the beginning of the story, Ralph is confident and optimistic when himself and multiple boys crash on an island. He takes control and earns the trust if the group. Ralph conducts assemblies and his words are determined and civilized, “All at once he found he could talk fluently and explain what he had to say… ‘we want to be rescued; and of course, we shall be rescued…we must make a fire”’ (Golding 32-38). Ralph’s words and actions show his boldness to take control and his strong belief in being rescued. However, as the story continues, the system and trust Ralph establish begins to diminish, resulting in two separate groups. The one group contains Ralph and very few civilized boys, and the second group is made up Jack and the savages. Although the groups are at peace at first, multiple fights and Piggy’s stolen glasses causes Ralph to partially change. This change is revealed to the readers when Ralph and Piggy go to the saves to retrieve the glasses, “Truculently they squared up to each other but kept just out of fighting distance… ‘Ralph-remember what we came for. The fire. My specs”’ (Golding 177). During this mission, the once civilized Ralph begins to fight with the savages and he acted barbaric himself. Ralph’s and actions and Piggy’s words show the reader how Ralph transformed the course of the book from being civilized and confident with his word; however, Ralph is now becoming a savage and loses his optimistic attitude. Piggy’s words to Ralph, shows how Ralph is forgetting the idea of being civilized because Piggy must constantly remind Ralph of their mission, but Ralph seems to just want to fight. Ralph’s shift in personality shows the reader that he is a dynamic and round character. Therefore, Ralph’s character undergoes development; however, Brutus in “Julius Ceaser” changes in an equivalent way.