Above: William Golding, Author of The Lord of the Flies
Credits: Prezi |
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GOLDING'S EVIDENCEIn the very beginning, a group of boys stranded on an island must elect a leader of their group. Although Piggy identified the conch—a symbol of civilization, order, and power—and suggested, “We can use this to call the others. Have a meeting. They’ll come when they hear us—,” (p. 16) it was Ralph who first used it to summon an assembly of the survivors. On page 22, Golding writes that the children yell, “Let him [Ralph] be chief with the trumpet-thing.” Thus, Ralph was nominated by members of the group to be the leader. The arrogant Jack nominated himself to be leader: “I ought to be chief...because I’m chapter chorister and head boy. I can sing C sharp” (p. 22). Ultimately, the boys voted and elected Ralph as the leader of their group. Golding states, “None of the boys could have found good reason for this; what intelligence had been shown was traceable to Piggy while the most obvious leader was Jack” (p. 22). However right away Golding addresses the theme of separation through leaders. On page 23, Ralph having just become leader, allows the choir to be the hunters, led by Jack. It can immediately be observed that the two groups are the choir boys, or the hunters, and everyone else, the survivalists. However to fully understand Golding’s two situations, each both Jack’s and Ralph’s actions must be analyzed.
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Above: The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding
Credits: Amazon |
From Left: Ralph, Piggy, and Jack.
Credits: Literary MBTI Tumblr |
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Jack |
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Jack, on the other hand, demonstrated his lack of wisdom in that he was only focused on hunting. Jack showed no concern for the others beyond having meat and had resigned himself to believing they would never leave the island. Thus, he invested nothing in keeping the signal fire lit. Jack transitions from the beginning of the story. At first, he said, “We’ll have rules! ...Lots of rules! Then when anyone breaks ’em—” (p. 33). This implies that he wants to keep order in the society. However, his desire for power led him to abandon the rules. This is evident on page 66, when Ralph discovers that the hunters let the fire go out. Furthermore, on page 91, Ralph yells at Jack, “The rules! ...You’re breaking the rules!” Jack responds to this with, “Who cares?” Where Jack seemed wise at first, he is no longer using wisdom to help benefit their survival. Not only does Jack take the hunters hunting instead of keeping the fire going as a ship passed by, but he also no longer cares for the rules. While Piggy and Ralph demonstrated wisdom and a sense of what was good for the group as a whole, Jack severely lacked wisdom.
Conclusion Golding calls Jack the ‘obvious leader,’ not because of wisdom, which he lacked, but because of his ability to influence the others. Although he may have been the strongest leader, Jack was certainly not a moral or just leader. Contrary to this, Piggy possessed intelligence and wisdom but lacked other key leadership skills including the ability to influence others. Ralph was a fair and ethical leader, but his ability to influence the others was limited. Although he was elected chief “partly because Ralph blew it [the conch], and he was big enough to be a link with the adult world of authority” (p. 59), Ralph did not make an effective leader. Overall, if all three boys had utilized their strengths and worked together to lead the society, they may have ensured that the survivors would have had food, shelter, and the possibility of being rescued. Therefore Golding shows that having more than one leader can cause tension, however teaches that if leaders cooperate, they can all reach a common goal. |
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