Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Leaders in society today are often praised for their position, as they represent or motivate their group to achieve a goal. This, is essentially the back bone of the novel, Lord of the Flies, by William Golding. The novel is about a group of boys deserted on an island after a plane crash. Two boys, named Ralph and Piggy, use a conch to summon the boys and create a civilized and lawful group, in their goal to be rescued. Most of the other boys, however, ignore their rules, and start talking about a beast. One boy named Jack, separates from the group and forms a tribe to kill it and have fun, which the other boys join in on. They begin to descend into the world of savagery and violence, and end up stealing from Ralph and taking him down, only for them to be saved by a passing ship. It's quite clear that the journey the boys go through to accomplish something is led by their leaders, and while everyone has some qualities of being one, some are naturally better than others. Simply put, although Jack and Piggy have some leadership qualities, Ralph is the best leader.

While considered a bold leader by some of the boys, Jack retains some leadership qualities throughout the novel, but isn't on the same level as Ralph because of his descend into savagery and power. Even at the early stages of the novel, Jack shows his inner desire for power and believes everything should go his way. He argues that "I ought to be chief, because I'm chapter chorister and head boy." (18). Good leaders are often very open minded about their decisions, and incorporate everyone's thoughts on the subject before taking action, so the decision being made is accepted by everyone. Jack, on the other hand, relies heavily on what he thinks is right and should be do...

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... these facts, it's clear that although Jack and Piggy have some leadership qualities, Ralph is the best leader. It's not to state that the other two are bad, in fact all three of them have their own unique traits, it's just that one is more qualified in this position than the others. As observed from this essay, it's quite clear that a leader is essential to achieving every group's goal, and although everyone has their strengths, it simply can't be just anyone. It takes someone with the right characteristics and instincts to be qualified for such a position. With all this said, it does raise the thought of the wrong leader being chosen. As it didn't happen in the book, it could happen in our world, such as in political elections. How would we know if someone is the right leader to protect and look after us?

Works Cited

Lord of the Flies Book- William Golding