Leadership In Lord Of The Flies By William Golding

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Is man inherently good, or inherently evil? This question has plagued the minds of scholars for hundreds of years, including famous names such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Thomas Hobbes. Rousseau argued that there is good inside the hearts of all men. In contrast, Hobbes believed the opposite—that man, in his rawest form, is evil. In his major literary work Lord of the Flies, William Golding takes the latter stance. In the ages following the harrowing events of World War II and the tensions of the Cold War, the viciousness of man was laid bare, which influenced Golding’s beliefs. In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, a group of boys crash on an island without any adult supervision and eventually spiral into chaos, leading to bloodshed and …show more content…

However, it does not go well for him: “In the unsought leadership role, Ralph demonstrates courage, intelligence and some diplomatic skill. On the negative side, he quickly becomes disillusioned with the democratic process and without Piggy's constant urgings would have cast aside the chief's role even before Jack's coup d'etat” (Slayton). Ralph’s characterization as a democratic leader shows that he represents both democracy and civilization. However, through his role as leader slowly losing power and his inability to properly assert democracy, Golding shows that the government cannot take the place of one’s moral code and that moral responsibility has to be an individual ideal. Ralph’s group dwindles in size and authority until he no longer has any power. Ralph’s group is led by reason and logic, but more and more people leave to join Jack’s group, which is ruled by a lust for violence toward the beast and the other islanders. Even though Ralph tries to be reasonable in keeping the boys in order on the island, he loses power and authority in the boys’ eyes. Through Ralph’s experience, Golding shows that no government or political formation can substitute for inner moral codes that are supposed to shape

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