Certain traits and characteristics make a leader. For a leader to earn the trust of people and to make them understand his or her authority, he or she must get a few specific characteristics. The book Lord of the Flies establishes these traits in the character Ralph. Some of these key traits include maturity, integrity, and reliability. Due to the fact that no adults were on the island, Ralph had seemed to be the most mature child on the island. The fact that Ralph had gotten all the children together and tried to initiate an action plan of their survival made him seem mature. Though Ralph had received credit for Piggy’s ideas, Piggy was unappreciated and socially unaccepted by the boys. Ralph had been voted chief mostly because of the conch. Finding the conch and using it to summon the boys showed his authority and maturity. When Ralph had been nominated by the boys one boy shouted,”Him with the shell.” (Golding,1954) Meaning that they had seen Ralph as a leader because he had held the conch. Ralph leadership skills were defined by integrity. Being honest and accomplishing a society, instead of allowing chaos made him an exceptional leader. He had given the boys jobs and rules for their safety and survival. Such as the choir having the job of tending to the fire and hunting boar. The fire was to ensure …show more content…
He took responsibility of the boys and promised that they would be saved. The boys had relied on him because he seemed to know what he was talking about. He stated,”I could swim when I was five. Daddy taught me. He’s a commander in the Navy. When he gets leave he’ll come and rescue us…” (Golding,1954)This made Piggy and the children think that sense Ralph’s dad was a commander in the Navy, he had more experience and knowledge about the situation that they were in. Having more relevant experience than Jack, whose only credential was singing a C sharp, Made him more reliable than
Ralph had used the conch that Piggy found and called an assembly and discussed their roles on the island. The conch was used to allow the person holding the conch to speak, and all the boys agreed with that idea. This rule was introduced to the boys by Ralph, but Piggy was the one who suggested it to him since no one listened to him. The boys had decided that they needed a chief to help make decisions and there was something about Ralph that made him stand out, “there was his size, and attractive appearance; and most obscurely, yet most powerfully, there was the conch.” (Golding, 22).
In the novel Lord of the Flies, there are various types of leaderships evident. Ralph and Jack are two of the main characters in the book, who both show a great sense of leadership on the island and towards the boys. Ralph being a democratic leadership, and Jack being a dictatorial leadership. First the fact that Ralph was a democratic leader will be discussed and proven with evidence.
The mannered and civilized boy, Ralph, shows excellent survival skills. He uses logic and strategic planning to gain durability in an unfamiliar environment. For example, when the group of boys crashed into the deserted island, he commenced the first meeting and started a bonfire. Another example would be how the boys would come up with assumptions and superstitions of an actual beast that exists in the island, he investigates to find out that it was actually a dead paratrooper, and uses that as evidence to tell everyone to keep calm, (although they didn't believe in him). These events all imply on how Ralph is a natural leader in any given situation.
The boys could have easily chosen Jack instead of Ralph, especially given the fact that Jack had previous experience as a leader; he is first seen surrounded by a group of faithful followers, his choir group, that continue to obey him on the island. Even Piggy, who showed support towards Ralph from the beginning, is intimidated by Jack's authoritative demeanor. However, Jack is missing that key characteristic that made Ralph so appealing: the symbol of power and strength. Any sense of leadership that Jack held was overshadowed by the image of Ralph standing confidently with the conch shell in hand. Ultimately, the young boys identified Ralph as their leader based on the power they believed he symbolized.
A good leader that could be obviously noticed is Ralph. He is one of the protagonist throughout the book, yes he has his good and bad times in the book but he truly tries to be stable. From the beginning he is one of the most liked characters. He shows his leadership by giving orders in a respectful way.
Piggy is truly the brains behind Ralph’s leadership on the island. He comes up with all of the ideas, such as calling the group together by using the shell and taking names as a source of accountability; however, he is unable to carry out his ideas due to a lack in assertiveness. “We can use this to call the others. Have a meeting. They’ll come when they hear us” ( 16) .
Although Jack expresses strong desire to become chief, the boys elect Ralph as a leader, suggesting an air of charisma that made him worthy of his position. He believes a leader has to “think, be wise… grab at a decision”, someone who can look after others and keep the group in
Although Jack was the most natural leader and Piggy was probably the smartest of the group, the boys voted Ralph as their chief. Jack’s jealousy is evident after Ralph is chosen as chief when he “disappeared under a blush of mortification” (Golding 23). In the first days and weeks on the
“Well, we won’t be painted,” said Ralph, “because we aren’t savages” (172). There are many great leaders all over the world. To be a great leader one must have certain qualities including, being courageous, being responsible, willing to take charge, having all priorities straight on the important things, have determination, and many more. In Lord of the Flies, Ralph shows all of these characteristics and a few more. Out of every boy on the island, Ralph would be the best choice as leader.
Piggy is very intelligent, he comes up with ideas on how to help the boys survive on the island from the moment they crashed on it. Ralph starts begins to admire him for this clear focus on their rescue off the island. “ we can use this to call the others. Have a meeting. They'll come when they hear us” (Pg 16)
Ralph never acknowledges that Piggy was the first to point out the conch shell and explained to Ralph what it was. Ralph, instead of giving credit to Piggy for the idea of the conch shell, blows through the conch and then takes charge. Ralph begins giving orders and proceeds to take on the role of chief. Ralph’s authority was made possible because “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.” (22).
Or that Ralph really communicates with the boys, and he is confident and dedicated to being the leader. To begin with, Ralph is a better leader than Jack because he has a clear vision and goal to be rescued. A clear vision, according to the text titled “The Traits of Good and Bad Leaders” means “vivid picture of where to go, as well as a firm grasp on what success looks like and how to achieve it.” Ralph knows where he wants to go, and that is being rescued.
In the story, the author wrote, "Once more that evening Ralph had to adjust his values. Piggy could think. He could go step by step inside that fat head of his, only Piggy was no chief." Piggy's acumen is able to help the boys through Ralph's leadership by being his adviser. In the first chapter, Ralph and Piggy met each other and summarized about what happened the night before.
Ralph is first introduced as the fair boy who is a natural born leader. He applies Piggy’s intelligence to think of a way to summon the other survivors on the island. Ralph follows through with Piggy’s idea and uses the conch which emits a loud sound that can be hear through the island. The sound eventually lures the group of boys towards them. His leader instincts are best portrayed when he’s able to side with Jack after offering to share his power: “The suffusion drained away from Jack’s face.
Ralph’s realization of power shift, loss of innocence, and whom he considers a friend changed. He learned the effects of jealousy and fear that lead to murder and betrayal. Most of the boys betrayed him and joined Jack, teaching Ralph the lesson of who his friends are. He learned Piggy may look different, but in the end, he had the most loyalty and reason. Jack’s envy of Ralph led to his outburst his disrespect for the boys’ right of speech and the animals’ right to live.