Ralph In Lord Of The Flies

In literature, as in life, people struggle with the principles and beliefs they hold. In the novel, Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, Ralph represents order, civilization, and leadership. On the island, Ralph is conflicted with his principles and beliefs that he has acquired over the years of living in a civilized and humane world and is caught between holding on to them or submitting to the barbarism that seems to have taken over the other boys.

Ralph is the protagonist of The Lord of The Flies. He was elected leader at the beginning of the novel and is the main representation of order and civilization on the island. At the very beginning, when Ralph finds the conch shell he lifts it up and says “'Seems to me we ought to have a chief to decide things' (pg.228). To Ralph, a chief is someone who is elected leader and makes important decisions for a group, as he thinks, "if you [are] a chief, you [have] to think, you [have] to be wise... you [have] to grab at a decision" (pg. 10). Being a chief to Ralph means leading people. It does not mean triumph, power, and arrogance; it's about making sure that all the needs of the group as

a whole are taken care of, especially the littluns. While the other boys are busy fooling around and avoiding any type of work, Ralph is occupied with making shelter and thinking of ways that would help the group get rescued from the island
Also, on page 155, “Something deep in Ralph speaks for him.” “‘I'm chief.

I'll go. Don't argue’”(pg.115). At this point, Ralph is agreeing to go look for the beast. The chief in him feels the need to take action and responsibility and find the beast that is scaring the littluns. Instead of getting caught up hunting and going crazy with bloodlust, he puts forth the idea of starting a fire and then someone watch it to make sure it doesn't go out. When someone has to go look for the "beast," Ralph appoints himself. When he's scared, he "[binds] himself together with his will" (pg.246), meaning that he's able to force himself to do something he would rather not for the good of the group. Although Ralph seems like the level headed and practical leader, as the story progresses, he starts to lose the civil behavior and discipline he once

had.
As the plot progresses, Ralph is conflicted with his beliefs and principles he has learned to follow and starts to give in to the savage behavior taking over the boys on the island. He tries to restrain and control himself from the urge to harm the pig, but “Ralph too was fighting to get near, to get a handful of that brown, vulnerable flesh. The desire to squeeze and hurt was over-mastering”(pg.114). Ralph's desire to be violent and kill was overwhelming and he succumbed to the influence of animalistic behavior. And when it comes to hunting, Ralph starts to seem even more sinister. The first time he wounds a pig, he talks "excitedly" and thinks that maybe, "hunting was good after all" (pg. 113). And then, when Jack and the other boys start to perform a savage chant of, “‘kill the beast, cut his throat, spill his blood’”(pg.152) at the feast, Ralph finds himself "eager to take a place in this demented but partly secure society"(pg. 152). The fact that Ralph has this urge to go and join in with a chant with such a violent and animalistic tone shows that he is slowly falling to the influence of the barbaric behavior being displayed by the other boys on the island.
Along with the desire to chant, Ralph is overwhelmed by the feeling to hurt Robert when the boys turn a harmless game of poking fun into a game of a murderous nature, caught up in a haze of bloodlust and violence. Suddenly, Ralph, “[is] carried away by a sudden thick excitement, [and] grabs Eric’s spear and jabs at Robert with it.” “‘Kill him! Kill him!’”(pg.152) It goes to show that the influence of savagery over Ralph is overpowering and has taken over him. He is not longer able to restrain himself from acting like a savage and has become almost as barbaric as the other boys on the island. The slow transition of Ralph, from civilized boy to a barbaric and animalistic like being shows how he struggles with holding on to the rules and mannerism he has learned while in the company of savages and shows the reader that there is an ugly beast hidden in every human.
Throughout the novel, Ralph changes from being a civilized human being with his principles and beliefs to a savage just like the other boys. In literature, as in life, people struggle with the principles and beliefs they hold. On the island, Ralph is conflicted with his principles and beliefs and is caught between holding on to them or submitting to the barbarism that seems to have taken over the other boys and ultimately, he does.