Good Leaders In Lord Of The Flies

In William Golding's novel, Lord of the Flies, Jack is a superior leader to Ralph. Some noticeable differences between Jack and Ralph are best represented through assertion, leadership fitness, and leadership logicality. If Jack had been elected leader from the start of the novel, it can be strongly argued that the boys would have been rescued much later or even not at all, but they would have thrived on the island and been very productive in a way of living. Jack is more effectively and aggressively assertive than Ralph. "He's like Piggy. He says things like Piggy. He isn't a proper chief." (126) This is dialogue spoken by Jack to the boys about Ralph. He is openly expressing his view that Ralph is inadequate as a leader and infers

Ralph’s first mistake was perhaps betraying the most intelligent and logical person on the island. "’He's not Fatty,’ cried Ralph, ‘his real name's Piggy!’" (21) Piggy, being the nickname that kids used to bully the boy with, was the one thing he pleaded to Ralph not to tell the others about; Ralph declared it to the entire group. This displays perhaps the aspect that Ralph may not be trusted with information or anything at all. A second and quite probably the largest of mistakes that Ralph made as a leader was his severe case of indecision. "’Piggy's specs!’ shouted Ralph. ‘If the fire's all out, we'll need them--’...’Oh God, oh God!’" (67) Ralph had spotted a ship, but was not knowledgeable as to whether the spoke fire was out or if it was still burning. During his panic, he made a split decision to run up the mountain to the fire in hopes to add more fuel; rather than to wait for Piggy so that he may bring the spectacles with him in the case that the fire would need relighting. It so happened to turn out that the fire was indeed burned out and he had not the spectacles to relight it, thus, the ship passed by and was not seen again. On the other hand, in the aspect of survival over rescue, Jack and his choir were indeed the reason that the fire was let out. They had been away acquiring food by hunting, so that the boys could eat well. Jack is also very well oriented on people having their place and their own duty. “...We’ve

He is conscious of the circumstance that they are all in, and acknowledges that they need to be rescued. "...If a ship comes near the island they may not notice us. So we must make smoke on top of the mountain. We must make a fire.-Ralph" (38) Jack makes a failing as a logical leader when he allows a chance at rescue to pass the island by. "You let the fire go out." (69) This being Ralph speaking to Jack after Jack arrives on the mountain from his hunting venture, during which a ship passed by and the fire that he and the choir were responsible for had burned out and no longer gave off signal smoke. Jack’s response to this event was completely out of alignment with the interests of Ralph as a leader. "We can light the fire again. You should have been with us, Ralph. We had a smashing time..."(69) By ‘having a smashing time’, Jack is referring to the hunt in which he and other boys surrounded and killed a pig for the group to feast upon. He is less caring about being rescued as logicality would serve, but more focussed on survival and supporting the other boys, which is a good thing on it’s