In William Goldings Lord of The Flies, there are more differences than similarities between the characters Ralph and Jack. Ralph displays useful human qualities as a leader by helping the boys’ society. Ralph believes that in order to stay civilized , they need order and stability. For example, Ralph says to the boys, “ Shut Up! Wait! Listen!” (38). This text evidence shows how Ralph is taking charge of the society and is trying to figure out the best solution to getting off the island and getting rescued. Ralph also keeps his whole focus on getting off the island unlike Jack. Ralph's leadership allows peace and charge on the island which makes him a better leader than Jack. Jack allows the boys to do what they want on the island which creates
When it comes to leadership Jack and Ralph have very few similarities, and many differences. Jack seeks to take control and be the leader in every situation. When Ralph was elected leader, Jack interjected and elected himself as leader of his choir. He is very forceful when it comes to doing things his way. For example, this quote from
Throughout the novel both characters, Ralph and Jack have a thirst for power. One may say that Jack is a stronger leader due to his persuasiveness with his need for power, but on the other hand Ralph is a great natural leader. From the beginning Ralph shows interest in getting home while leading the group of boys. Ralph may be young but he seems to have a general idea on how to get the group going in the right direction. He has an innate ability to split the group up and give them the important tasks that need to be done to survive for several days for example: tending to the fire, and hunting which was Jack and the choirboys job. To be a good leader you must stay positive which Ralph is able to do majority of the time by persistently believing that everyone
William Golding's Lord of the Flies is a novel about a group of boys who are lost on a deserted island and must do what they can to survive. At the beginning of the novel, two of the boys, Ralph and Jack, become leaders. These differences will form the main conflict in the story. The differences will cause them to hate each other and the anger that results is a recurring part of the plot throughout the novel. These two boys can be compared by the way they change, the reason for their actions, and the way they use or abuse power.
Comparing Ralph and Jack to Show How the Characters Change in Lord of the Flies
Ralph was the leader from the very beginning. Ralph was good looking, people liked listening to him, and he had good ideas. At first, Ralph didn’t like Piggy, he didn’t even ask for his real name. Sometimes Ralph couldn’t really think, so Piggy gave him ideas on what to say and do. As the book went on Piggy and Ralph became best friends.
“Jack made a rush and stabbed at Ralph’s chest with his spear. Ralph sensed the position of the weapon from the glimpse he caught of Jack’s arm and put the thrust aside with his own butt. Then he brought the end round and caught Jack a stinger across the ear. The were chest to chest, breathing fiercely, pushing and glaring.”(196). Two strong types of leadership can lead to devastating outcomes. This is shown in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. Ralph and Jack have two very different types of leadership that are at different ends of the spectrum. The qualities of Ralph and Jack are different, Jack’s beliefs contrast those of Ralph, and the styles of leadership that Ralph and Jack use are as different as night and day. To begin, it takes
A good leader is someone who cares about everyone. They are loyal, and listens to everyone’s ideas. They are smart, strong, and can make tough decisions. A good leader could fight, but a better leader can choose not to. In the Lord of the Flies, a novel by William Golding, is about a boy named Ralph who wanted to get rescued and made leadership choices based on that, but another boy named Jack who prevented rescue by splitting the group up and turning survival into a game. Ralph and Jack were meant to be in the same novel because Golding wanted to show how the wrong leadership can go wrong, and on what leader you follow can be an effect on how you survive.
The novel " Lord of the Flies" focuses on the conflict that exists between two competing impulses that Golding, suggests exist within all humans; these being the instinct to follow the rules, act in a peaceful manner and comply to moral commands compared to the instinct to act violently in order to gain control over others and to satisfy our own greed and personal desires. The conflict exists within the novel in several forms; law and order vs. anarchy, civilization vs. savagery and the basic term of good vs. evil. Golding uses these themes consistently throughout the novel, clearly associating instinctive savagery with evil and the instinct of civilisation with good. The representation of this lies in Ralph and Jack, the two central
In the classic novel, The Lord of the Flies by William Golding, it explores the themes of the different perspectives and ideologies humans use to civilize themselves. In the novel, the main protagonist Ralph best represents the logical point of view, attempting to conserve the utopian island, while the antagonist Jack best illustrates the savage point of view, which results in the creation of a dystopia based on his lust for enjoyment.In Lord of The Flies, even though both Ralph and Jack represent different ideologies, they do possess some similarities between them. While both characters have different leading styles, it can be argued that they are effective leaders. They are both adverse in inspiring those their followers, the boys in the island, with Ralph using hope for returning to motivate the rest of the boys stranded in the island, while Jack uses fear against the beast as a catalyst for his seizing of power. In my opinion, this similarity is the reason why these two different pathways were capable of remaining popular among the boys or what they symbolize, society. The reason for this is because as social creatures, humans need to have a high morale to be able to achieve progress, which is something that requires capable leaders. Jack used a particularly cruel method by making the beast as a sort of religion for the boys by using it as a figurehead for his power. He treated the beast like a deity when he stated that the, “head is for the beast. It’s a gift” (Golding,
Even though many supporters suggest that Ralph is a great leader, it is obvious that Jack is the best leader on the island. Since the boys set foot on the island, Jack was honest, and he never hesitated to express his feelings. “Human nature cannot be so irremediably bad if the arrival of one adult can immediately put everything to rights” (Reilly,10). This quote explains that when Jack was introduced on the island he was a great leader, and this made the boys realize they each have individual responsibilities in order to contribute to the group. While being honest, Jack demanded the group to do what he wanted, and the boys would obey him. “Jack at first demands to be called as at school, Merridew, the surname his mark of superior age and authority”(Oldsey 4). This quote illustrates that Jack immediately separated himself from the other boys on the island.
Ralph and Jack are both powerful and meaningful characters in William Golding's novel, Lord of the Flies. Ralph is an excellent leader; responsible, and stands for all that is good. Jack is a destructive hunter, selfish, and represents evil. These two main characters can be compared by the actions they take as leaders, their personalities, and what they symbolize in the story.
Although Ralph seems to be more masculine than the others, he doesn't quite focused on trying to overpower the other boys on the island but tries to find a way to get rescued. Because of the fact that he tries to find a way to be rescued instead of trying to be the most dominant you can really consider him truly their leader because he symbolizes civil society.he focuses on what's important instead of selfish wants.
Ralph cares for the greater good of the group of boys rather than just for himself which signifies one of the traits a leader should have. Golding tries to show that leadership is an important part of keeping an island civilized and from keeping it stable. Ralph’s leadership is the only hope the boy’s have to be able to survive on the island while they wait to be rescued. Ralph's leadership starts to change as he and Jack have a power struggle because he starts to lose faith in himself as well as the boys. In a sense, it would seem as though Ralph’s leadership was the one to cause the boys to rebel against being civilized because they didn’t want to listen to someone who would tell them what to do when they could do whatever they wanted and become savages without morals. Ralph’s leadership helps the boy’s civilization have stability. Leadership relates to the meaning of the work as a whole because leadership is what keeps a civilization from going into ruins, but the boys instinct to do what they want is much greater than that of living a life with rules.
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
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.