Lord of the Flies
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Spenser Hilton
Accelerated English II
November 12, 2010
At the beginning of Lord of the Flies, many, if not all of the characters seem like “ordinary” young British boys. They all attend boarding school, suggesting a state of some wealth. Their ages vary widely, and there are only a few candidates who are old enough (not necessarily mature enough) to possibly assert a semblance of order and stability on the island. They are the only characters that are deeply developed further along in the story, the only ones whose minds Golding takes you deep into.
Ralph is one of the greatest players in the story, and is the main protagonist in Lord of the Flies. Early on, he is very strong willed and takes charge when he is elected “Chief” of the island, because he is the one who found the conch and blew it to call a meeting and bring together the scattered boys. His clear mind represents order and the need for leadership in society.
Once Ralph is “elected” by popular demand, “‘Him with the shell!’ ‘Ralph! Ralph!’ ‘Let him be chief with the trumpet thing!’” , he inadvertently gains an enemy in Jack Merridew, who can be seen as the main tangible antagonist in the story, with the inner barbarian which seems to lurk in each of the boys being the greatest overall source of the conflict of the story. Ralph’s
Hilton 2
mindset of order and stability does not mesh well with Jack’s, which is based on barbarian living and violence, with hunting as the source of food. This creates a situation where the group of boys is divided into two groups, with most of the older boys tagging along with Jack, and Ralph being left to take care of the “littleuns”.
Ralph is dead set on the idea that his father, a military man, will come to rescue him immediately, and hold on to this belief for a period in the story. “‘He’s a commander in the Navy. As soon as he gets leave he’ll come rescue us.’” He is then made aware of the brutal truth that no one...
Accelerated English II
November 12, 2010
At the beginning of Lord of the Flies, many, if not all of the characters seem like “ordinary” young British boys. They all attend boarding school, suggesting a state of some wealth. Their ages vary widely, and there are only a few candidates who are old enough (not necessarily mature enough) to possibly assert a semblance of order and stability on the island. They are the only characters that are deeply developed further along in the story, the only ones whose minds Golding takes you deep into.
Ralph is one of the greatest players in the story, and is the main protagonist in Lord of the Flies. Early on, he is very strong willed and takes charge when he is elected “Chief” of the island, because he is the one who found the conch and blew it to call a meeting and bring together the scattered boys. His clear mind represents order and the need for leadership in society.
Once Ralph is “elected” by popular demand, “‘Him with the shell!’ ‘Ralph! Ralph!’ ‘Let him be chief with the trumpet thing!’” , he inadvertently gains an enemy in Jack Merridew, who can be seen as the main tangible antagonist in the story, with the inner barbarian which seems to lurk in each of the boys being the greatest overall source of the conflict of the story. Ralph’s
Hilton 2
mindset of order and stability does not mesh well with Jack’s, which is based on barbarian living and violence, with hunting as the source of food. This creates a situation where the group of boys is divided into two groups, with most of the older boys tagging along with Jack, and Ralph being left to take care of the “littleuns”.
Ralph is dead set on the idea that his father, a military man, will come to rescue him immediately, and hold on to this belief for a period in the story. “‘He’s a commander in the Navy. As soon as he gets leave he’ll come rescue us.’” He is then made aware of the brutal truth that no one...