Lord Of The Flies

Essay by naruto_kunA, May 2005

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Lord Of The Flies By William Golding

Characters:

Ralph

Ralph is the athletic, charismatic protagonist of Lord of the Flies. He was elected the leader of the boys at the beginning of the novel; Ralph is the main representative of order, civilization, and productive leadership in the novel. While most of the other boys are concerned with playing, having fun, and avoiding work, Ralph thinks about building huts and thinking of ways to enlarge their chances of being rescued. Ralph's power and influence over the other boys are very good at the beginning of the novel. But, as the group gradually gives in to savage instincts over the course of the novel, Ralph's position declines quickly while Jack's rises. Eventually, most of the boys except Piggy leave Ralph's group for Jack's, and Ralph is left alone to be hunted by Jack's tribe. Ralph's commitment to civilization and morality is strong, and his main wish is to be rescued and returned to the society of adults.

In a sense, this strength gives Ralph a moral victory at the end of the novel, when he casts the Lord of the Flies to the ground and takes up the stake it is impaled on to defend himself against Jack's hunters. As the story moves on, Ralph, like Simon, comes to understand that brutality exists within all the boys. Ralph remains determined not to let this brutality overwhelm him, and shortly he considered to joined Jack's tribe in order to save himself. When Ralph hunts the boar he experiences the excitement and thrill of bloodlust and violence. When he attends Jack's feast, he is swept away by the frenzy, dances on the edge of the group, and participates in the killing of Simon. This firsthand knowledge of the evil that exists within him, as...