Power In Lord Of The Flies Essay

Power in a general sense is the ability to direct or influence the behavior of others. In the book, Lord of the Flies, William Golding illustrates the gruesome story of a group of British schoolboys who get stranded on an island after their plane crashes. The book is set, unspecifically, during the wartime evacuation of the children, while World War II is happening around them. Following this event, the group of surviving boys includes Piggy, SamnEric, Ralph, Jack, and Simon who attempt to govern themselves. The role of leadership is suddenly stolen from the elected commander, Ralph, by Jack who is jealous. No matter how hard Simon tries to keep the order in his small community, he eventually fails. William Golding displays multiple forms of …show more content…
At the very beginning of the story, when the boys first arrive on the island Piggy discovers a conch shell in the ocean, bordering the sandy beach. The shell is then further used to call the other boys out of the forest to hold a meeting of unity. In this very moment,“ Piggy laid a hand on his jutting abdomen. “You try Ralph. You’ll call the others” Doubtfully, Ralph laid the small end of the shell against his mouth and blew”(Golding 16). Even from the very start, Ralph spontaneously falls into the leadership role. At this very moment in the story, the boys are really lost and confused about the situation they may be in and Ralph installs a glimpse of hope. Calling the boys to the beach, using the conch, he adopts the responsibility to look over the rest of the people on the island. He uses a power found naturally inside himself, something that feels normal for Ralph. He holds all the same characteristics as a mastermind because of the fact that he is so fluent with the way he conducts the meetings. This makes it easy for the rest of the boy 's to show eagerness towards the idea of him as the leader. Ralph’s direction towards the position as chief, is a power that none of the other boys