How Does Golding Show Leadership In Lord Of The Flies

Young schoolboys are stranded on an island without any adults. Someone has to lead them, but among them there’s no perfect leader to take on this much responsibility. Who do they turn to? They’re just children, scared and away from home. Leadership is represented throughout William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies, by using the four characters, Ralph, Jack, Simon, and Piggy, to all show leadership qualities. When the boys first gather together on the island, they vote for Ralph as their leader. He shows good leadership qualities such as being responsible, ethical, and focused. He thinks of their safety and survival in the long term. He tries to keep a civil society by establishing rules and a working order. For example, he makes the rule that whenever he blows the conch he’s calling an assembly and whoever is holding the conch has the power to speak without being interrupted (except by him). He is respected by the boys and he gives them hope. He focuses on getting everyone rescued by keeping the signal fire going and building shelter. However, most of the boys lose interest in Ralph’s ideas because they rather shirk responsibilities and slaughter pigs for amusement. By doing so, they stray from Ralph’s hope of being rescued and give into their savageness. Although, he has the right intentions, Ralph isn’t …show more content…
It takes more than just one person to create a successful civilization. Golding elaborates on this idea by giving these four boys different leadership qualities. However, the civil society that Ralph and Piggy created was consumed by savagery. Jack and his hunters didn’t share the same values as them. The boys weren’t working compatible with each other. In order to properly run a civilization, the boys need to blend their different leadership qualities. With Ralph’s focus on rescue and survival, Jack’s confidence and authority, Simon’s respect and optimism, and Piggy’s intelligence and rational problem solving, the boys can