Leadership In Lord Of The Flies Essay

Mario Iskander

Ms. de Jager

ENG2Dd

Wednesday, April 27th, 2016

Leadership in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies

What is it that makes a person a leader? Is it the skills possessed? Is it personality? The role of a leader is a constant struggle in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. Ralph and Jack, the two emerging leaders in the novel, fight back and forth to gain the discipline of the other boys on the island. While it is true that leadership is often associated with great power and influence, the ability to wield more power does not necessarily mean that Jack is the better leader. In the novel Lord of the Flies, Golding explores how an effective leader is not the one who grasps power, but rather the one who is aware of and readily responds

to the group’s needs. Using character, plot, and symbolism, Golding warns the reader that the pursuit of power can lead to corruption.
Golding’s use of characterization solidifies the assertion that Ralph is a more effective leader than Jack. With his gripping use of words and description, Golding makes the reader view Ralph as a moral, orderly leader, who sees the situation as a whole and who sets goals and works towards achieving them. This is demonstrated when Ralph repeatedly tells the boys to keep the fire lit in order to create smoke so that a passing plane or ship can see it. He says, “ ‘Can’t you see the mountain? There’s no signal showing. There may be a ship out there. Are you all off your rockers?’ ” (Golding 118). Ralph’s forceful tone, established through Golding’s powerful use of diction, illustrates that although his ideas may not be fun, they are meant to get the boys rescued and to keep them alive. Using his foresight, wisdom, and aptitude for planning, Ralph quickly re-focuses the boys when it looks as though they have lost their focus and have made hunting their priority. It is important to realize that Jack is also there, but, conversely, he fails to restrain the boys, which demonstrates Ralph’s effectiveness over Jack. Moreover, as the story further unfolds, Golding once again utilizes the power of words, but this time to describe Jack. Through the use of dark and sinister language, Golding sets up Jack as a selfish, violent and corrupt leader. One such instance is in Chapter 9 entitled “A View to Death.” As it starts to rain, Ralph asks Jack how he plans to weather the storm considering he has not built any shelters. In response, Jack orders his tribe to do its wild hunting dance, shouting, “ ‘Do our dance! Come on! Dance!’ ” (Golding 167). Through the use of words such as “come on” and “dance,” Golding very cleverly illustrates Jack’s commanding tone. By instructing them to chant and dance, Jack is actually using the dance as a tactic to draw attention away from Ralph’s very serious and practical questions about the building storm and shelter. He uses it as a unifying ritual to pull them into a frenzy of bloodlust and deflect their focus from the more practical matters. This illustrates Jack’s incompetency. His thirst for power is overwhelming his interest in civilization, which in turn affects the well-being of the group. He loses sight of the boys’ real needs – that is shelter, warmth, and protection – whereas, Ralph does not. Through a combination of both direct and indirect characterization, Golding emphasizes that Ralph is clearly the better leader.
Golding’s use of plot events is yet another technique he uses that reinforces the idea that Ralph is a more effective leader than Jack.

One of the many examples he uses to illustrate such assumption is the building of shelters in chapter 3 entitled “Huts on the Beach.” Ralph is dedicated to building shelters for the group, even though he dislikes the work. He complains to Jack about the importance of finishing the shelters before anything else is undertaken, including hunting. This is evident when he says, “ ‘Been working for days now. And look.’ Two shelters were in position, but shaky…‘And they [everyone] keep running off…[Remember] how everyone was going to work hard until the shelters were finished?’ ” (Golding 51). This illustrates Ralph’s consistent desire to do the right things, even when it is unbearably hard. Ralph feels the urgency to build the shelters for two reasons. The first is that as the weather deteriorates, the boys will need someplace to take refuge in. Second, the littluns are usually scared at night, so they need a place that would offer them a sense of calm and security, a place they can call a home. Ralph realizes the boys’ need for security, stability, and order, something that Jack consistently fails to do. Moreover, speaking of Jack’s incompetency, Golding’s use of plot events once again proves to be a powerful tool when it comes to highlighting Jack’s inability to lead. Golding recounts that Jack manipulates the fear of the beast numerous times

throughout his stay on the island. One such instance is when he hints that the beast is real when he knows it probably is not. He says, “ ‘If there’s a beast, we’ll hunt it down! We’ll close in and beat and beat and beat –!’ ” (Golding 99). This not only unveils Jack’s manipulative character, but more importantly, his lack of responsibility. He only suggests that the beast is real because fear leaves the group more willing to give him power and more willing to overlook his barbarism to maintain their safety. Instead of allaying their worries, Jack breeds fear to cement his authority. An effective leader would never put his group in harm’s way, but Jack does. An effective leader would never put his own desires first, but Jack does. When things begin to fall apart, Ralph grows wiser but Jack grows stronger. It is important to realize, though, that being able to wield more power does not mean that Jack is the better leader; not at all! It just means that his efforts are more tangible and the boys respond well to this. Golding’s use of childlike and primal plot events stresses the effectiveness of Ralph and undermines that’s of Jack.
Golding’s use of symbolism is one more method he uses that strengthens the claim that Ralph is the better leader on the island.

Two objects come to symbolize Ralph and Jack and their different leadership styles: the conch and the painted masks. Ralph and Piggy first find the conch in Chapter 1 entitled “The Sound of the Shell” and it soon becomes a defining trait of Ralph’s leadership style. He gives it more purpose than just a sound machine. He says, “ ‘We can use this to call the others. Have a meeting. They’ll come when they hear us –’ ” (Golding 12). This illustrates Ralph’s organized frame of mind. Even before he is elected chief, he comes up with the idea of summoning the boys in order to decide their next course of action. He realizes the importance of upholding the rules of their British civilization, especially when there is no adult presence on the island to govern them. When the time comes to choose between Ralph and Jack, the majority of the boys support Ralph as their leader. The conch imbues him with power in the other boys’ eyes and makes him more appealing to them (at least at first). They are swayed by the conch’s symbolic power. Using this powerful instrument, Ralph implements law and order on the island. He realizes the boys’ need for a higher governing authority and quickly rushes to provide it for them. This stresses Ralph’s effectiveness as a leader. Similarly, the painted masks soon become a defining trait of Jack’s leadership style, just like the

conch is of Ralph’s. Initially, Jack paints his face in order to make himself blend in better with the natural environment. Later on, however, he becomes a new, savage person. “Jack began to dance and his laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling. He capered toward Bill, and the mask was a thing of its own, behind which Jack hid, liberated from shame and self-consciousness…” (Golding 64). Behind the mask of paint, Jack feels free to act like a savage. The mask strips him of his civilized identity and makes him anonymous and free from shame. It is important to realize that Jack’s mask is red, white, and black. Golding uses these specific colours to symbolize violence and evil that are inherently present in humans. The mask changes not only Jack’s appearance but also his character. It marks his complete and total shift into a human savage, and by doing so, highlighting his incompetency as a leader. Instead of stirring the rest of the boys away from savagery, he facilitates their advancement into it. Instead of focusing on their needs, he directs his attention towards those of his own. Golding’s use of symbolism points up Jack’s ineffective leadership and confirms Ralph as the clear choice.
In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, Golding explores how effective leadership is not about maintaining power, but rather about recognizing the group’s needs and developing practical solutions to satisfy them. Using character, plot, and symbolism, Golding warns the reader that the pursuit of power does indeed corrupt. Ralph and Jack are both similar in their desire for control, yet different in their leadership qualities and their objectives while on the island. Ralph appeals to the best of humanity, as he stands for civilization and order. Jack, on the contrary, bases his leadership on violence and savagery. It is evident that Ralph is a more effective leader than Jack.

Work Cited
Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. London: Faber and Faber, 1954. Print.