Jack versus Ralph as Leaders in Golding's Lord of the Flies

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In today’s modern society, a leader must contain capabilities that include decisive decision making that benefit the rest of society. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, the leaders, Jack and Ralph, make decisions that impair the well being of the boys on the island. When Jack and Ralph place the personal need of being in control above the needs of the boys, chaos ensues on the island. Also, When Jack and Ralph both use fear as a tool to accomplish their personal goals that they placed above the needs of the boys, order on the island broke down. Lastly, when Jack and Ralph placed their personal needs of not co-operating with one another, order on the island broke down. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, when leaders place their personal needs above the needs of society, order on the island breaks down.

When Ralph and Jack placed their own personal needs of being in control of the other boys, order on the island broke down. Ralph stated that he was chief and as long as he was voted chief, the boys would do as they were told to, as stated in the chapter, The Beast from the Water, ‘You voted me for chief. Now you do as I say’ (81). This quotation incorporates the fact that Ralph has grown aware of the fact that he has the power to make decisions that affect the rest of the boys deeply and that he has the top power on the island at that point. Becoming chief was not necessarily a personal need for Ralph at first, but as events occur, he became aware of the fact that he has ultimate authority and will do make sure the boys complete their tasks in order sustain order, even if it meant disciplining them. When Ralph held the meeting by the beach at night in chapter five, chaos ensued as a result of his personal need of being...

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...the island.

In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, when leaders place their personal needs above the needs of society, order on the island breaks down. Ralph and Jack both placed both of their own needs of being in control above the rest of the boys, which resulted in chaos on the island. Also, when Jack and Ralph utilized fear and fear of the unknown against the boys in order to get what they wanted, order broke down on the island. Finally, when leaders place the neglect of co-operation above the needs of the boys, order on the island breaks down. These are all fine examples of how leaders can become corrupt of how an excellent leader can be tested with temptation to do wrong. They all provide sufficient proof that Jack and Ralph placed their own personal needs above the needs of society, which in the end, resulted in chaotic breakdown on the island.

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