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By Bhargav Nallanthighal, Steven Kim, and Srujay Korlakunta
“He laid the conch with great care in the grass at his feet. The humiliating tears were running from the corner of each eye. 'I’m not going to play any longer. Not with you.' Most of the boys were looking down now, at the grass or their feet. Jack cleared his throat again. 'I’m not going to be a part of Ralph’s lot—' He looked along the right-hand logs, numbering the hunters that had been a choir. 'I’m going off by myself. He can catch his own pigs. Anyone who wants to hunt when I do can come too.” (Golding 183)
In this quote, Ralph is slowly realizing Jack's desire to break away from law and order, and Jack's savagery is directly expressed. Ralph's role as a leader was directly correlated to his hope in humanity and sanity, and Jack was considered a viceroy to Ralph. With him seceding, it was like their government was falling, and, as history has taught, when a government collapses, chaos ensues. He begins to think, "Isn't there a reason we have rules?” So why would Jack simply not follow them?" With these thoughts, Ralph's tactics to maintain order were slowly crumbling, because he was then aware of the present savage ideals, in addition to hints of self-doubt in his capabilities as leader.
In the beginning of the novel, Ralph is characterized as a confident and decisive leader who is seen by the other boys as a source of authority.
“Let him be chief with the trumpet-thing.’ Ralph raised a hand for silence. ‘All right. Who wants Jack for chief?’ With dreary obedience the choir raised their hands. ‘Who wants me?’ Every hand outside the choir except Piggy’s was raised immediately. Then Piggy, too, raised his hand grudgingly into the air. Ralph counted. ‘I’m chief then.’ The circle of boys broke into applause.” (Golding 29)
This quote shows that all of the boys, excluding the choir, saw Ralph as a good and strong leader, worthy to lead the community they were setting up. When Ralph holds the conch, which is a symbol of leadership, in his hands, it symbolizes the head of a civilization. He is shown to be the unifying factor for the boys, a commander that will guide their society through the hardships they would face. He was able to instill confidence in the boys, encouraging them to be civilized and to not lose hope.
By the end of the novel, Ralph is no longer able to maintain control over the rest of the children, as his leadership had been successfully challenged. Ralph had lost his authoritative power, as evident in the quote,
“Ralph put his head down on his forearms and accepted this new fact like a wound. Samneric were part of the tribe now. They were guarding the Castle Rock against him. There was no chance of rescuing them and building up an outlaw tribe at the other end of the island. Samneric were savages like the rest; Piggy was dead, and the conch smashed to powder.” (Golding 268)
The quote shows that not only is his most loyal ally dead, Ralph has lost all his stature and is an outcast from the other children. With the “conch smashed to powder,” it symbolizes an end to their civilization, as the conch acted as a symbol of leadership and order throughout the novel, and its destruction indicates an end to those values. In addition, Ralph can not fix this situation, because the other children have lost touch with their moral values and civilized mannerisms and have become accustomed to a barbaric and unrestricted life on the island. This shows how savagery is such an innate element in human nature, and as a result, everyone who Ralph had previously led were driven to a chaotic leadership lacking proper order.
Everyone go to the table in the back and take one piece of candy.
Savagery is...
In “The Lord of the Flies” by William Golding, several characters show an astounding amount of depth. The characters in the novel each show the individual conflict between morality and savagery, as the children's lack of civilization and control leads them astray. Ralph’s character shows the result of this conflict, as his development reflects the changes within the society on the island.
Through witnessing his friends and the other children inevitably turn into savages, Ralph transformed from an assertive and strong willed boy, into a unconfident and insignificant man.
As a story progresses, characters develop both in their thoughts and actions, and the same can be said for Ralph in the novel Lord of the Flies. Ralph was originally a strong willed boy, able to make good decisions and lead the community effectively. As the other characters strayed away from obedience and became increasingly more savage in their ideals and actions, Ralph began to lose all hope in the society, as well as all confidence he had in himself. As Ralph’s influence diminished, so did the condition of the society, resulting in a community of children who harmed each other and defied civilized order.
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Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York: Coward-McCann, 1962. Print.
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