Absolute Power In Lord Of The Flies

Hofert 1

Jordan Hofert

Ms. Frangipane

Study of Genre English 9 Block F

25 February 2016

[Title Here]

A recurring theme in many societies today is that “absolute power corrupts absolutely”(John Acton, was an English Catholic historian, politician, and writer). In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, this idea of leadership is put in the spotlight. Jack, one of the boys on the island, forced his way into the leadership position, not actually earning it. It is clear that Jack is not a good leader as he is intimidating, egotistical, and selfish. Ralph is a quality leader under most conditions because Ralph appeals to the boys sophisticated side, while Jack is only successful when he has limited power as he satisfies their childish need for fun

from their primitive savage nature. Power is the backbone of every society, but what truly determines the success of the society is how well their leaders can govern them.
In the novel we learn that “absolute power corrupts absolutely”(John Acton). Ralph and Jack both respond very differently to maintaining this power, though; one appeals to their primal nature, while the other appeals to their need for a structured society and wanting to get off the island. An argument erupted between Jack and Ralph, and Ralph explained, “I’m chief. I was chosen.” Jack responded, “Why should choosing make any difference? Just giving orders that don’t make any sense-”(91). In this scene we can see the two different types of power put forward in the novel. The first is where power is given, which is what the case is with Ralph. The second is where power is taken, which is what Jack is attempting when he demands that choosing doesn’t make a difference. It is obvious that Jack is against the idea of democracy when he isn’t the one with the power. Meanwhile, Ralph values the group over himself, and wants everyone to have a say in what goes on. This power Jack has led to him becoming corrupt, which is absolutely going to happen to Jack. Jack is getting fed up with his lack of power, so he decided to try to become the leader. He asked, “Hands up?’ said Jack strongly..... ‘How many think –’ His voice trailed off. The hands that held the conch shook. He cleared his throat, and spoke loudly. ‘All right then.’ …. The humiliating tears were running from the corner of each eye. ‘I’m not going to play any longer. Not with you’”(127). Jack is acting like a little kid in this scene. This need of power Jack has made him corrupted, so much so that he won’t tolerate being with the others if he can’t be the leader. When he isn’t getting what he wants, Jack just starts crying trying to draw sympathy. Qualities like this are why Jack is incapable of being a leader. Without power, Jack is vulnerable and without support. Overall, it could be deduced that Ralph is able to handle the power that he is given in a more mature way than Jack.
Limited power mostly ends up making leaders better.

As the leader of the choir, Jack had limited power, which gave everyone what they wanted. Ralph declared that Jack was just, “‘in charge of the choir. They can be-what do you want them to be?’ ‘Hunters’”(23). As the leader of the choir, Jack had limited power. He only had the control over a few of the boys, which gave him what he wanted, power, but not too much. This satisfied everyone when Jack had this limited power. However, over time Jack becomes more greedy and gets hungry for more power from liking the taste of a few. This power has corrupted him and turned him into a corrupt, crazy, and power hungry person that is certainly not fit to be a leader. Having limited power is enough to make the majority happy, but Jack can not handle the idea of being without supreme power. One day, Jack demands, “‘Give me a drink.” Henry heard this so, “Henry brought him a shell and he drank, watching Piggy and Ralph over the jagged rim. Power lay in the brown swell of his forearms: authority sat on his shoulder and chattered in his ear like an ape”(150). All the anger culminates when Jack finally gets power, he shows how he is not suited for a position of power, and incident like this happen. Jack is abusing the power that he took away from Ralph, the better leader. There is no way for a good society to exist under a leader such as Jack. That is why the group needs to be a democracy, with all having limited and equal power. Otherwise, you will see the corruption like in Jack’s society, with one leader misusing their power and thinking of themselves over the group. Overall, you can tell through the actions of Jack that limited power makes leaders better. It is human nature to become corrupted by power, and this is a problem you can clearly see in

Jack
If you have a good leader, your society has a better chance of thriving.