How is the idea of leadership presented in the novel Lord of the Flies?
Mankinds existence relies on two unyielding needs: the physical and the mental. Physical needs include food, water and shelter, which without, our physical selves could not survive. The other need, mental, includes the need for law, order and a sense of security, which are all important for humans to be able to coexist with each other. In the novel Lord of the Flies, with the need for law, order and a sense of security, comes the need of a leader. William Golding uses the boys to represent different forms of leadership. Throughout the novel there is a constant power struggle between them, each boy bringing their own skills and qualities to the position.
When the boys emerge from the forest, disoriented and afraid from the plane crash, they instantly seek an authority figure to enforce order. To fulfil their needs, they try to find a group where someone can lead them and make them feel safe. When Ralph blows the conch, unbeknownst to him, it becomes a signal for them to obey. Ralph is a natural, civilized, leader, who has a strong, fixed moral compass, which in the end becomes his downfall and almost leads him to his death. Ralph represents democracy. He believed that the best way to stay live was for everyone to have their say and he showed this through the symbol of the conch, Ill give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when hes speaking. This is why he and Piggy are friends. Piggy is overweight, wears glasses and has asthma, and because of this, is an outcast. But he is the smartest boy on the whole island and Ralph doesnt take that for granted "Piggy, for all his ludicrous body, had brains. Ralph was a specialist in thought now, and could recognize thought in another." Ralph knows that he wont be able to lead on his own, which is why he employs the help of Piggy and Simon to help decide whats best for the group. Ralph is not selfish and he realises the seriousness of their situation. At one of the earliest assemblies, with the help of Piggy, Ralph tells the boys of his new idea. If a ship comes near the island they may not notice us. So we must make smoke on top of the mountain. We must make a fire. Ralph is constantly telling the boys how important it is to build a fire, not only for cooking and heat, but in order to be rescued, because they want to be rescued; and of course [they] shall be rescued He spends little to no time worrying about himself and more time worrying about the welfare of the fire, so that all the boys have a chance of being rescued. Ralphs democratic way of leading keeps him safe for a while, but like most leaders, hes abilities are challenged by another boy on the island.
On the opposite end of the spectrum is Jack, who has flaming red hair and a personality to match. I ought to be chief, said Jack with simple arrogance, because Im chapter chorister and head boy. I can sing C sharp. Unlike Ralphs peaceful, democratic leadership, Jack represents anarchism, the absence of government. He rules through fear and the power of violence behind him. When they talk about the beast Jack rolls his eyes, Fear can't hurt you any more than a dreamserve you right if something did get you, you useless lot of cry-babies! His disrespect for the littleuns makes them feel inferior and as if their fears are a sign of weakness and his lack of fear makes people fear him. The boys begin to feel obligated to follow his orders. They fear that they will be punished or threatened if they disagree with him. Extraordinary things happen in extraordinary situations and Jack is a clear example of this. He was the leader of a group of innocent choirboys, turned savage and uncivilised, thanks to his lust for power and the fear he could use to influence and rule over the rest of the boys. He and his choir group are named The Hunters because the army, under the leader, is the most important position to be in. When he first goes hunting for pigs, Jack cannot bring himself to kill, something that he begins to obsess over, "He tried to convey the compulsion to track down and kill that was swallowing him up". He cannot shrug off the teachings from back at home, but he is slowly changing from a civilised bully to a savage killer. Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Spill her blood. A lot of the boys arent comfortable with this uncivilised method of gathering food, they realise that it is a necessity to stay alive. They understand that if they follow Jack and his wild quest for hunting animals they will have a sufficient supply of food, something that makes a lot more sense to them than Ralphs quest for fire.
Whilst Ralph and Jack stand at opposite ends, between civilisation and savagery, Simon isnt even on the same plain. Simon embodies a goodness that, in a way, is as primal as Jacks evil. He doesnt tell very many people what he is thinking because he is usually made fun of, Simons effort fell about him in ruins; the laughter beat him cruelly and he shrank away defenceless to his seat The boys reject his philosophies because they do not understand what he is trying to say. Even though he is the youngest of the three boys, Simon is one of the most mature when it comes to the things that scare the rest of the boys. The boys discuss the question of the beast during a meeting. A few littluns have offered different ideas about where the beast resides. What I mean is maybe its only us Simon is offering the opinion that, maybe the beast is, instead of a six legged sea monster, something that resides within all of the boys themselves. Simon is expressing Goldings point that human evil exists, a theme that runs throughout the entire novel. His own question is answered later in the novel, when he is talking to The Lord of the Flies You knew, didnt you? Im part of you. This shows how smart Simon actually is and how he couldve answered all the boys questions, if someone had just listened to him. In the end the knowledge is what kills him.
These three boys all clearly have different characteristics and priorities, which enable them to lead the group in different ways. Ralph is the democratic, elected leader, who is driven mad by seeing the true side of humanity, Jack the self-appointed, anarchist, who is driven mad for a lust of power and violence, and Simon, the quiet, observer leader who is slowly driven mad by being ignored and dismissed by the other boys. They all have different views on how a society should be run, which leads them into many conflicts, which shows that humans cannot be trusted with power, as power corrupts. But mankinds existence relies on two unyielding needs: the physical and the mental. Our mental needs include the need for law, order and a sense of security, things we havent been able to have without the humankind following a leader.
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[ 1 ]. Page 97 from Lord of the Flies by William Golding
[ 2 ]. Page 49 from Lord of the Flies by William Golding
[ 3 ]. Page 48 from Lord of the Flies by William Golding
[ 4 ]. Page 29 from Lord of the Flies William Golding
[ 5 ]. Page 103 from Lord of the Flies by William Golding
[ 6 ]. Page 65 from Lord of the Flies by William Golding
[ 7 ]. Page 142 from Lord of the Flies by William Golding
[ 8 ]. Sparknotes: Analysis of major characters: Simon
[ 9 ]. Page 111 From Lord of the Flies by William Golding
[ 10 ]. Page 111 from Lord of the Flies by William Golding
[ 11 ]. Page 177 from Lord of the Flies by William Golding
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