Lord of the Flies Essay

Importance of Leadership

Leadership is something that stands out in people. In a group, people tend to look to the strongest person to follow. However, the strongest person may not be the best choice to follow. In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, Ralph and Jack each have leadership qualities. Jack is probably the stronger of the two; however, Ralph is a better leader. He has a better understanding for the boys. He also has more common sense and treats the boys better than Jack.

Ralph shows that he has a better understanding of the boys than Jack. He knows that the boys need some sort of order on the island in order for them to survive. He starts a simple form of government and sets a few rules for them. Even though they don’t last very long, the fact that he tried to help the group is what makes him a better leader. Ralph’s wisdom and ability to look toward the future also has an advantage over Jack. He has a sense to keep his focus on getting off the island. When the fire goes out, Ralph gets upset because the chance to be rescued was gone as well. Ralph enforces his role of leadership as he gives the boys a sense of stability of an authority figure. He keeps the boys in pretty good order at the meeting by making a rule that they can only speak if they have the conch. Ralph knows that the littleuns are afraid and they need shelter to feel more secure. They work together for a while, but as the time goes on the smaller boys want to go play. They slowly lose all their help until Simon and Ralph are the only ones left to work on them. Ralph knows that this is a necessity and keeps bringing it up at the meetings. Jack, on the other hand, is doing nothing but causing chaos.

Jack fails to realize that the boys need security, stability, and order on the island Jack was a leader of the choir before the boys landed on the island. These boys, who were in the choir, still want to follow Jack; however, they have no discipline at all. The only thing that is on Jack’s mind is hunting. He doesn’t care about anything else, except capturing and kill the pigs for some food. The group of hunters does not like to listen to Ralph either. This leads to the second downfall in Jack’s character.

Jack does not treat the boys with the self respect that Ralph does. The way Ralph treats the boys shows his knowledge of human nature. Ralph makes a better leader because he understands that he is not superior over any of the boys. While Jack thinks that the boys are lower than him, Ralph treats the boys as equals. Ralph understands that the boys, particularly Piggy, have to be given respect. Piggy is the weakest of the group and is treated unfairly much of the time. When Jack hits piggy and breaks his glasses, Ralph calls it “a dirty trick.” This shows Jack’s disregard for other humans, while at the same time shows that Ralph is compassionate and has the ability to empathize with others.