Ralph And Jack Leadership Analysis

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Within our society, there is preconceived notion of a leader. Whether strong or brave, intelligent or wise, effective or inspiring, this notion creates an expectation of the qualities a leader should possess. This notion is demonstrated through the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding. Within the novel, characters are tested, physically and mentally, and their true-selves are revealed. Although responsibility is taken both directly and indirectly throughout the novel, two of the main characters, Ralph and Jack, are seen as the main leaders. Both of the characters personalities and approach to leadership are drastically different. However, they are both influenced by survival. Furthermore, along with their positive qualities, they both …show more content…
Within the novel, Ralph and Jack both approach their authoritative role in their “society” very differently. Ralph’s approach to leadership is altruistic and influenced by the interests and well being of those around him. This can be illustrated by Ralph attempting to recreate modern society by establishing rules and consequences, in the hope of maintaining order and civilization. Firstly, Ralph’s order-seeking mentality is best demonstrated when he says, “if we have a signal going they’ll come and take us off”(Golding, 58) and “[w]e ought to have more rules.” (Golding, 58). This reveals Ralph’s desire to survive and maintain the tribes civilness. Finally, when venturing on the island, Ralph takes the lead despite his inner confliction;“[h]e forced his feet to move until they had carried him out onto the neck of land (Golding, 149-150). This exhibits Ralph's commitment to being a leader and above all, it confirms his selflessness. In contrast, Jack’s approach to leadership is brute and violent and is influenced by his self-desires. However, despite Jack’s cruel approach to leadership, he is an effective leader and at the beginning of the novel it is clear that “the most obvious leader [is] Jack”(Golding, 28). Jack’s leadership ability is demonstrated by his to influence, instruct, and provide for those around him. For instance, these …show more content…
Throughout the novel, Ralph tries his best to be responsible and a role model. However, he lacks an essential characteristic; intelligence. Ralph is not only uncertain of his decisions, he is solely dependent on Piggy for ideas and therefore, is unable to be an effective leader. For instance, Piggy is the one who suggests that the “first thing [they] ought to have made [is] shelters” (Golding, 62). This further demonstrates that Piggy is the mastermind behind the majority of the plans, not Ralph. Furthermore, a responsible leader must respect his followers just as they respect him, which Ralph evidently does not. Firstly, this is illustrated by his lack of respect towards Piggy in which he dismisses Piggy and says “[n]ow go back, Piggy, and take names” (Golding, 32), as if Piggy was worth nothing to him. In response Piggy was overwhelmed with indignation therefore further representing that Ralph is oblivious to people’s feelings. Secondly, Ralph treats the littluns as nuisances and disregards their existence as seen when Ralph tells a littlun to “shut up” (Golding, 28). In contrast, Jacks uses a militaristic attitude as a way of achieving his own desires and maintaining power over those who follow him. However, through the process of doing so, he denies responsibility for his actions. This is demonstrated by Jack and the other boys putting on face paint. By doing so,“ the mask was a
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