Lord of the Flies

1. Lord of the Flies Analysis

2. This Week Monday – Characters – Ralph and Jack Tuesday 3 – Characters – Minor characters Tuesday 4 – Key Incidents Thursday 3 – Setting Thursday 4 – Symbolism Friday – Planning an Answer and The Simpsons

3. Ralph Ralph can be described as a flawed hero. We are going to look at the following aspects of Ralph: Meeting Ralph Ralph the Leader The Dark Side of Ralph Ralph’s development

4. Meeting Ralph “…there was a mildness about his mouth and eyes that proclaimed no devil.” Ralph is introduced as a likeable and handsome character and is instantly put into direct contrast with Jack. We see him form a relationship with Piggy and makes it clear what he thinks the priorities are for the boys.

5. Key Points • Ralph and Jack are set up as enemies, Ralph has the foresight to understand he must “handle” Jack. • Ralph and Piggy form a bond and it is here that Piggy begins to act as Ralph’s conscious. • Ralph is shown to have a slightly darker side through his cruel behaviour towards Piggy. • Ralph wants to be rescued, he does not want to live on the island, he wants to go home. • Ralph shows he is respectful and honest due to the way in which he embraces the idea of “the conch”.

6. Ralph the Leader Ralph is a strong leader as he has a fixed idea of what the boys must achieve: rescue. He must deal with Jack’s deceit and desperation to become leader himself. It is clear that Ralph may not want to be leader as desperately as Jack does but holds onto the position – at Piggy’s suggestion – because the alternative is much worse.

7. Ralph the Leader Ralph also proves he is not willing to be pushed around by Jack and refuses to let fear take over the little’uns, he refuses to accept the beast is real. Jack encourages the opposite, it is Jack who brings out the flaws in Ralph’s leadership, without Jack’s influence, fear would not have torn the society apart.

8. The Dark Side of Ralph There are 3 key things to mention here when dealing with the flaws in Ralph’s character. • Ralph treats Piggy poorly because to embrace Piggy would lead to unpopularity and mockery from Jack. This shows Ralph’s weakness. • Ralph takes part in the murder of Simon due to his fear of being isolated, this is a very human fear. • Jack pushes Piggy away because he is scared of losing power by siding with the unpopular person in the group, this shows Ralph may enjoy power far more than he lets on and is similar to Jack in this respect.

9. Ralph’s Development You can look at this quite clearly in sperate parts. You have Ralph being installed as chief and then we watch him edge ever closer to darkness and savagery. The turning point is the death of Simon. This allows Ralph to realise the horror of what the boys are becoming and it is here that he loses his fear of Jack and is willing to stand up to him. This is Ralph’s redemption, he must save the souls of the other boys from Jack. The latter part of the novel, sees Ralph become a true hero and leader.

10. Ralph’s Development Diamond Nine • Honest • Deceitful • Cowardly • Brave • Intelligent • Self-centred • Savage • A Leader • Loyal

11. Jack Jack is much easier to write about. He is a character who has only one goal, he wants to be in charge and he wants to make the rules, not follow other people’s. He never gets over the fact he wasn’t chosen as leader and he uses fear to manipulate the other boys and challenge Ralph until he is in the position of power. In terms of his development over the course of the novel, he is on a journey of self discovery as he embraces the darkness in his soul. Without rules and structure he able to become the dark character he has always wanted to be.