Control In Lord Of The Flies

The Importance of Leadership in Lord of the Flies There are always people who, in a group, come out with better qualities to be a leader than others.   The strongest people however, become the greater influences which the others decide to follow.   However, sometimes the strongest person is not the best choice.   Authors often show how humans select this stronger person to give an understanding of the different powers that people can posses over others.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a novel that represents a microcosm of society in a tale about children stranded on an island. Of the group of young boys there are two who want to lead for the duration of their stay, Jack and Ralph.  Through the opposing characters of Jack and Ralph, Golding reveals the gradual process from democracy to dictatorship from Ralph's democratic election to his lack of law enforcement to Jack's strict rule and his violent law enforcement.

The author, William Golding uses the main characters of Ralph, Jack, and Simon in The Lord of the Flies to portray how their desire for leadership, combined with lack of compromise leads to the fall of their society. This desire for leadership and compromise led to the fall of their society just like multiple countries during times of wars.

The boys struggle through a corrupt political system. Ralph and Jack stated, “ I thought I might kill.”But you haven’t yet”(Golding 51). Jack is put in a position in which he has to kill but he does not accomplish his duty at that point. This describes the relationship between the two. They are vehemently working with each other to make the civilization work but without one another the civilization would not succeed. Also, at this point in the novel Ralph and Jack are in disagreement on who should aloft to be chief. Jack states, “I am not going to be apart of Ralphs lot. I am going by myself. Anyone who wants ...

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...

A group of English boys are stranded on an island after the plane they were on was shot down. This is the central plot of William Golding’s, “Lord of the Flies.” It is the internal struggle between “good” and “bad.” Each character represents a component of society. Ralph possesses leadership, creativity, and responsibility. He is elected leader of the group and tries to organize everyone under a single civilization on the island. Jack represents the barbarous, savage, and crude attribute that we all own. Piggy is the intellect and voice of reason of the group. Simon represents spirituality and a deep connection with nature. He is compassionate and kind hearted; always thoughtful of others.

While the boys are under Jack's control, they quickly went back into how they started when they first got there. However, Ralph was able to keep the boys under control by holding meetings. At the meetings, a sense of order is instilled because the boys are not allowed to speak unless they have the conch shell. "I'll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he's speaking." (p. 31) By making this rule, he gains respect from the boys and becomes for confident as a leader. Ralph uses his power to tries to make the boys better people. He shows his by building them shelters. "They talk and scream. The littuns. Even some of the others." (p. 53) Ralph is saying that the boys need the shelters because they are afraid and the shelters will help the boys feel more secure. This shows he has better knowledge of people making him a better leader than Jack who does not understand this. Jack does not realize that the boys need to feel secure and need someone in control.

When Ralph and Jack placed their own personal needs of being in control of the other boys, order on the island broke down. Ralph stated that he was chief and as long as he was voted chief, the boys would do as they were told to, as stated in the chapter, The Beast from the Water, ‘You voted me for chief. Now you do as I say’ (81). This quotation incorporates the fact that Ralph has grown aware of the fact that he has the power to make decisions that affect the rest of the boys deeply and that he has the top power on the island at that point. Becoming chief was not necessarily a personal need for Ralph at first, but as events occur, he became aware of the fact that he has ultimate authority and will do make sure the boys complete their tasks in order sustain order, even if it meant disciplining them. When Ralph held the meeting by the beach at night in chapter five, chaos ensued as a result of his personal need of being...

Jack is the leader of the boys choir group in civilization and he is the complete opposite of Ralph. Jack wants to be leader and won’t let anyone stand in his way he rules through fear and shows signs of militarism and dictatorship. He is cruel, sadistic and preoccupied with hunting and killing pigs to help the rest signal for help. His sadism only gets worse throughout the novel, and eventually turns cruelly on the other boys. Jack pretends to show an interest in the rules of order on the island, but he views the differently because they only allow him to inflict punishment. Jack represents greed, savage and the anarchic aspects of man.

Jack Merridew is an ordinary boy who turns into a perfect savage. Jack is the leader to a group of boys called the choir. In the beginning of the novel, we see the choir as “a creature” in the distance. When they arrive Jack acts almost like a military sergeant “shouting” orders at them. The way Jack treats them brings to mind of an army of authority and arrogance. With Jack so used to being in charge, when Ralph is elected leader his face has a “blush of mortification,” and doesn’t like the decision. Jack is arrogant as when he is introduced to Ralph he insists that he is called by his first name “Merridew”. Ralph is “fair haired” and he, at the end, has the most sense of decency whereas Jack is “red haired.” The connotation of red could associate Jack with the devil and evil, which is what he turns as he soon as he parts away from the group. When Jack forms a new tribe, he loses his name- “Jack Merridew” to “Chief” after the responsibility and power overcomes his personality.