Powerful Leaders In William Golding's Lord Of The Flies

Lord of the Flies: Powerful Leaders

Jurisdiction over people takes courage and strength; most importantly, it takes power. This leadership is a valuable tool. People who can be authoritative, can take control, and grasp the task at hand, generally become leaders. William Golding’s Lord of the Flies reveals that people are naturally drawn to powerful people regardless of morals.

Sometimes, leaders will be chosen based on a powerful object rather than their personal characteristics. Ralph, the first leader of the boys, is chosen based on his importance, not his skill; therefore, they root his authority to the conch. It seems that:

“None of the boys could have found good reason for this; what intelligence had been shown was traceable to Piggy, while the most obvious leader was Jack. But there was a stillness about Ralph as he sat that marked him out: there was his size, and attractive appearance; and most obscurely, yet most powerfully, there was the conch” (Golding 22).

This quote tells that Ralph is not really a leader, but since there is

He gives off an aura of savagery and authority. His, “Power lay in the brown swell of his forearms: Authority sat on his shoulder and chattered in his ear like an ape.” (Golding 150). This is what draws the other boys to follow his lead. His strength and authority cause them to believe that he is a better leader; likewise, he is more of a dictator. Jack stands up against Ralph by himself, showing the other boys that he is dominant and courageous. Ralph begins to notice boys sneaking off to join Jack as, “He looked round. Then for the first time he saw how few biguns there were and understood why the work had been so hard.” (Golding 131). Power and dominance caused the boys to choose their leader based on strength and not morals. Jack has savage ways, but he has power; consequently, his power allows him to be a