Lord of the Flies Ralph Essay Example

Lord of the Flies: Ralph Paper The very first time Ralph is Introduced to the reader, one can see his sense of observation even In the first sentence that he says, This Is an Island, at least I think Its an Island. Thats a reef out in the sea. Perhaps there arent any grownups anywhere. As everyone knows, a good sense of observation is essential for a leader. Chosen as a leader shows the naturally set in civilized instinct within humans. Ralph represents order and discipline in this chaotic world without grownups, which is displayed by his character and composure during the first meeting. His speech shows his maturity level, which outdo all but perhaps Piggys. He almost defines himself with his first speech: Listen everybody. Ive got to have time to think things out. I cant decide what to do straight off. If this isnt an island, we might be rescued straight away. So weve got to decide if this is an island or not. Everybody must stay around here and wait and not go away. Three of us-if we take more, wed get all mixed, and lose each other-three of us will go on an expedition and find out. We will write a custom essay sample on Lord of the Flies: Ralph specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Lord of the Flies: Ralph specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Lord of the Flies: Ralph specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Ill go, and Jack, and, and. (23-24). Ralph wastes no time in bringing order to the group. He demonstrates intelligence and self-control by not Jumping Into conclusions and by mating Time to think things out That displays to the reader his cautiousness in making decisions. Surely the other boys recognized this also, for he had earned the title, chief. Another instance where Ralph shows his ability to reason is when he observed that If faces were different when lit from above or below, then what is a face. (78). For a twelve year old boy, that is complex logical thinking, and for him to think that way, one can assume that Ralph Is indeed intellectual. Ralph clearly demonstrates the need for collocation and order by the tasks that he Instructs to be done. To Illustrate, the first task he asks to be done Is starting a fire. He reasoned that making a fire would help a passing ship locate them. One can see through this and know that unlike the other boys who are concern with playing, having fun, and avoiding work. Ralph main goal is getting rescued. Everything he wants done is for there benefit, to either live on the island safely, as shown by the shelters, and or get rescued. During the assembly In chapter 5, Ralph tells the group his frustration that things are not getting done. From the way the other boys act, he Implies that he Is the only one who wants to get rescued. He states that the boys arent even disciplined enough to ease themselves in the designated area. Thats dirty! He says several times about that issue. This point gives us a little insight into the way Rallys mind works. He is disgusted by the little ones are taken short everywhere they want to, and though the author does not state this, one can think that the older boys did the same and didnt think much of It. Ralph wants to grasp what he can of the passing cleavage nature AT man. Something else Ralph says Tanat lets us see Into Nils nature Is when he says, Dont you understand? Cant you see we ought to-ought to die before e let the fire out. Here, he explains his great frustration of the distorted mindset of the other boys. He Just cant understand how the fire is the last thing on their minds. In order to make sure that the fire stays on, he makes a rule that fire is to be lit on the mountain only, and if anyone wants to cook something, it should be done on the mountain. It can be assumed thats the way he reasoned so that the fire would definitely stay on. Again, Ralph displays his keen intelligence and amazing ability to reason. One cannot correctly analyze Ralph without also looking at the way he analyzes himself. Clearly, he does not see himself as others do. Others see him as an intelligent leader, while he sees himself as a poor thinker. In comparing himself to Piggy, he states that Piggy is a better thinker than he is. At the beginning of chapter seven, Ralph finds himself examining his situation: He pulled distastefully at his grey shirt and wondered whether he might undertake the adventure of washing it He would like to have a pair of scissors and cut this hair-he flung the mass back- cut this filthy hair right back to half an inch. He would like to have a bath, a proper wallow with soap. He passed his tongue experimentally over his teeth and decided that a toothbrush would come in handy too. Then there were his nails- (109). Through Rallys self-examination of himself, one notices that hes not particularly a dirty person, in fact, one can go far enough to say that he certainly dislikes being dirty. He is not at all like his mates who long to wallow in mud; instead he would rather wallow in soap. After he sees how deep in the recognizable pit he is in, he makes an astounding statement, Be sucking my thumb next. (10 9). Ralph knew that there was something wrong with the situation that he was in. He discovered with a little fall of heart that these were the conditions he took as normal now and that he did not mind. (110). He yearned for more than this remorseful life of his, this pathetic place he called home. He longed for his mother to tuck him in at night with a kiss goodnight and hear her sweet, soothing voice tell him that everything would be okay. He craved the rough, yet tender hug of his father in the comforts of his home. Surely, he must think that any life is better than the one he has right now, but he settled for those gentle words from Simon, manfully get back to where you came from. The question now is, was Ralph a bossy, self-centered fellow who was at times overbearing, or merely a firm instructor pointing the way towards life. Though Ralph was not a perfect leader, for no one is perfect, he certainly was a great one. He was a rightly respected young man of courage who never was persuaded in his pursuit for what is right, more than Just the round or dynamic character that Gilding was trying to portray him as. As the novel progressed through its climax and then its ending, we find that Ralph has lost most, if not all of his power as the leader. He is merely a awn in this twisted corrupt game that Jack conceived; but here is when his true brilliance shined. For even in defeat, Ralph did not give up. He did not cower as the other boys did, which must have tormented Jack. Beneath the surface the traditional novel that it is, Lord of the Flies makes one question themselves. If we were in the same situation as those British boys, what would we have done? Who would we have been? If we are to ever come across such a situation, then we would realize the savageness within one mans heart and the great hero Ralph was for standing up against sun a canalling.