There can not be more than one type of authority in any given society. Two or more different kinds of authority will never be able to coexist. This proves to be true in William Golding’s The Lord of the Flies. In the novel, there are multiple views on leadership that constantly conflict with each other. In the end, only one can win out. In his The Lord of the Flies, Golding uses Ralph, Simon, Piggy, and Jack to represent different kinds of authority that compete in society. Ralph, the chosen leader by consent of the group, tries to lead in a democratic way by organizing tasks for the boys and keeping order within the group. He is initially chosen leader over the group because he is the best fit for the job (Woodward 89). When the boys first arrive on the island, everyone is spread out. They know nothing of their
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Simon represents a “Christ-like authority who is able to keep sanity within the group. Clearly, in the novel, we can see that Simon can tell right from wrong. He is the only truly moral boy on the island. He is also the one to discover the true identity of the “monster” (Woodward 89). Despite his good morals, he is martyred by the other boys in a gruesome death when he tries to tell them that the monster is no monster at all (Slayton 4). On the other hand, Piggy’s contribution to the group of intelligence. Piggy is a smart young boy. Even the glasses that he wears symbolizes knowledge. The glasses are what Ralph uses to start the signal fire (Spitz 3). Piggy would most likely make the best leader out of the main four characters. This would be because of his quintessential intelligence and common sense (Woodward 89). Despite this, Piggy submits to Ralph because he does not possess the proper leadership qualities (Slayton 4). Even though Simon was morally the best, and Piggy was intelligently the best, neither display the authority needed for
Simon represents a “Christ-like authority who is able to keep sanity within the group. Clearly, in the novel, we can see that Simon can tell right from wrong. He is the only truly moral boy on the island. He is also the one to discover the true identity of the “monster” (Woodward 89). Despite his good morals, he is martyred by the other boys in a gruesome death when he tries to tell them that the monster is no monster at all (Slayton 4). On the other hand, Piggy’s contribution to the group of intelligence. Piggy is a smart young boy. Even the glasses that he wears symbolizes knowledge. The glasses are what Ralph uses to start the signal fire (Spitz 3). Piggy would most likely make the best leader out of the main four characters. This would be because of his quintessential intelligence and common sense (Woodward 89). Despite this, Piggy submits to Ralph because he does not possess the proper leadership qualities (Slayton 4). Even though Simon was morally the best, and Piggy was intelligently the best, neither display the authority needed for