Lord Of The Flies Leadership Analysis

Responsibility in Leadership: How Jack Rose to Power in Lord of the Flies
Lord of the Flies is a dystopian novel by William Golding and published in 1954, shortly after the end of World War II. The novel follows the ventures of a group of British boys stranded on an island and seeks to address the root cause of the rise of Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany. In Lord of the Flies, Ralph represents order and civilized society, while Jack represents Hitler and his fascist regime. Ralph’s shortfall lies in his myopic point of view, developed by his father’s influence. His lack of foresight in his leadership role results in the neglect of critical responsibilities, poor decision-making and a weak society, which then allows for the rise of Jack’s fascist regime. While the ultimate goal of a parent is to provide the best possible upbringing for their children, when children become too reliant on the support of a parent, they become a dependent mirror of the parent – as Ralph became the mirror of his father. Society commonly associates father figures with stereotypically masculine traits and mindsets, such as quick-acting, never-fearing, and dominating personality types. Ralph’s close alignment with his father suggests that he also emulates these traits. In conversation with Piggy, Ralph believes “when [his father] gets leave he’ll come and rescue [them],” (8) in effect using his father a crutch. Because Ralph strongly depends on his father – and the quote implies that his father