how is ralph presented in lord of the flies essay

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Lord of the flies – charcater essay on ralph.

Choose a novel with a character who you find interesting. With reference to the text show how the writer made the character interesting.

In The Lord of the Flies by William Golding Ralph is a very interesting character. In the novel a group of boys become stranded on a desert island and must fight to survive. Ralph is a compelling character because he is the one who fights to keep civility alive amongst the boys and tries to stop them becoming savages. We can track how he does this throughout the novel.

The first way Ralph proves to be interesting is when he establishes a sense of order on the island. He finds a large conch and gathers the boys together and tells them “I’ll give the conch to the next person to speak, they won’t be interrupted”. We can see clearly here that there is a sense of democracy, any boy who wishes to speak will be given the chance to do so. The idea that they won’t be ‘interrupted’ shows that Ralph expects the boys to listen to each other and give each other respect even if they don’t agree with one another. Ralph is also clearly the leader here as he is the one in charge of where the conch goes. This makes Ralph interesting as he is clearly the authority figure and he is clearly in charge at this point.

Ralph continues to exert his authority over the boys. The younger boys begin to slack off from their work and the older boys don’t pay attention to the fire and so Ralph shouts “I’m calling an assembly” and the boys immediately gather at the point. This shows that Ralph is still the boss at this point and it shows the boys still have a sense of civility as they conform to Ralph’s instructions. This is interesting because it shows Ralph is still able to control the boys at this point and there is still a sense of a functioning society.

Ralph sees that the boys are starting to move away from their civility as time passes and he tries to remind the boys of who they are. The older boys let the fire go out and Ralph, furious at them asks “Are we savages or what?” The tone of this is angry and he is trying to tell the boys that they need to behave better. The loss of fire is a loss of hope of rescue. Letting the fire go out suggests that some of the older boys aren’t actually fussed about getting off the island. This scene is interesting because it shows Ralph is starting to feel exhausted from being the only authority figure and he is getting frazzled at trying to get so many boys to conform to rules that will ultimately save them.

Ralph starts to lose his authority when Jack begins to openly challenge him. Jack punches Piggy and steals his glasses in order to restart the signal fire, Ralph calls him out on it saying “That was a dirty trick” and we are told “Ralph felt his lip twitch”. Ralph is openly identifying Jack’s deviant actions whereas in the past he would have let Jack away with it. He is trying to control Jack here. His lip twitching is an involuntary action but it betrays Ralph’s dislike for Jack. This scene is interesting as the group of boys can now see the split between Jack and Ralph and will be forced to take sides, and Ralph here actually looks weaker because he is not using brute strength.

Finally Ralph loses control of the boys completely but refuses to join them as he still clings to civility over savagery. When Simon is mistaken for the Beast and murdered Ralph is the only one who will admit “that was Simon, that was murder” and when they are finally rescued and the naval officer asks jokingly had they killed anyone Ralph responds “Only two” and Golding reveals “The officer knew when people were telling the truth. He whistled softly.” Ralph’s first statement is just that, a clear acknowledgement that the boys’ savage behaviour has led them to kill someone. Ralph’s response to the naval officer implies that the boys could have ended up killing more boys if rescue hadn’t occurred. Ralph is not scared of the truth. Ralph is interesting because he is the one boy on the island who has matured and grown a strong moral centre prizing civility over savagery.

In conclusion, Golding makes Ralph an interesting character by showing him grow as a leader and then remain the only boy who will not succumb to savagery by joining Jack’s group. Ralph is there to show us what could happen when savagery takes over from civility.

2 thoughts on “Lord of the Flies – Charcater essay on Ralph”

This was a great essay wow.

well answered a job welldone

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Lord of the Flies

William golding.

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Ralph Quotes in Lord of the Flies

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Ralph is the protagonist (hero) in Lord of the Flies . He is the first character we meet in the novel and we initially see the island through his eyes.

• At the start of the story, Ralph is elected leader and chief of the island.
• He represents democracy, order, civilisation, and fair leadership in the novel.
• It is Ralph who finds the conch shell ( “A shell.” ), their symbol of democracy, order and authority.

• He focuses on building shelters and maintaining a signal fire so they can be rescued.

• At the start, everyone accepts Ralph as the leader, as they believe that he has their best interests in mind.
• However, as the boys become more savage (obsessed with killing and power), the group begin to turn against Ralph.
• They metaphorically turn against civilisation as they become more savage.
• The boys turn away from Ralph and begin to follow Jack (wildness and violence).

• As their savage sides begin to take over, all of the boys (except for Piggy) leave Ralph’s group and join Jack’s tribe.
• Although Ralph loses control of the boys, he never fully gives in to the evil within him, but continues to follow his own beliefs.
• At the feast, where Simon is killed, he does take part in the crazed dancing and killing of the “pig” .

Evil within

• Ralph is one of the boys who was actively fighting to get close to Robert.
• Golding did this to show that everyone, even the best of us, has evil within and that no one is perfect.

Self awareness

• “Don’t you understand, Piggy? The things we did-"

Ralph cont.

Although Ralph loses control of the boys, he never fully gives in to the evil within him, but continues to follow his own beliefs. He is one of the only boys who fights back against the Lord of the Flies.

Inner strength

• Ralph is one of the only boys who fights back against the Lord of the Flies – the others get swept up in the crazed dancing, feasting and hunting.
• Whilst Ralph does succumb to this at times, he is also the one who throws the pig’s head to the ground and takes the stake it was impaled upon as his own means of defence.

The loss of hope

• By the end of the novel, Ralph is the only one left on the side of morality and civility – and he is being hunted by Jack’s tribe, showing that savagery is winning.
• It is not until the end, when he is about to be murdered himself, that he finally loses all hope ( “Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy” ) and grieves.

Summary of Ralph

• He uses the conch to create order and control (blows it to call meetings).
• His main goal is for the boys to be rescued (obsessed with signal fire).
• He is courageous and sticks up for his beliefs.
• He is the only boy who survives the island, who has not changed.
• Finally, he is hunted by Jack’s tribe of savages, showing that their civilisation has broken down.

1.1 Context

1.1.1 The Title

1.1.2 Historical Context

1.1.3 End of Topic Test - Context

2 Story Analysis

2.1 Chapter 1

2.1.1 The Sound of the Shell

2.1.2 The Sound of the Shell 2

2.2 Chapter 2

2.2.1 Fire on the Mountain

2.3 Chapter 3

2.3.1 Huts on the Beach

2.4 Chapter 4

2.4.1 Painted Faces & Long Hair

2.5 Chapter 5

2.5.1 Beast from the Water

2.5.2 Beast from the Water 2

2.6 Chapter 6

2.6.1 Beast From the Air

2.7 Chapter 7

2.7.1 Shadows & Tall Trees

2.8 Chapter 8

2.8.1 Gift for the Darkness

2.8.2 Gift for the Darkness 2

2.8.3 Gift for the Darkness 3

2.9 Chapter 9

2.9.1 A View to a Death

2.10 Chapter 10

2.10.1 The Shell & the Glasses

2.11 Chapter 11

2.11.1 Castle Rock

2.12 Chapter 12

2.12.1 Cry of the Hunters

3 Key Characters

3.1 Profiles

3.1.1 Ralph

3.1.2 Piggy

3.1.4 Exam-Style Questions - Jack

3.1.5 Simon

3.1.6 Roger

3.1.7 End of Topic Test - Ralph, Piggy & Jack

3.1.8 End of Topic Test - Simon & Roger

3.1.9 Grade 9 - Key Characters

4 Key Concepts

4.1.1 Human Nature

4.1.2 Location & Setting

4.1.3 Democracy & Dictatorship

4.1.4 End of Topic Test - Themes

5 Writing Techniques

5.1 Writing Techniques

5.1.1 Allegory

5.1.2 Foreshadowing

5.1.3 Pathetic Fallacy

5.1.4 Naming

5.1.5 End of Topic Test - Writing Techniques

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Cry of the Hunters

Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Lord of The Flies — Lord of the Flies: Ralph vs. Jack

Lord of The Flies: Ralph Vs. Jack

• Categories: Character Lord of The Flies

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Words: 686 |

Published: Jun 6, 2024

Words: 686 | Pages: 2 | 4 min read

Table of contents

Introduction, ralph: the embodiment of order and civilization, jack: the descent into savagery and power, conflict and consequences.

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Sample Essay

How does William Golding set the scene for the novel in the opening chapter?

The opening chapter of ‘Lord of the Flies’ is very effective in laying the foundation for the rest of the plot. Characters become instantly recognizable and significant. The surroundings around the characters become very clear and leave you with a vivid image in your mind whilst reading. Also, the use of the language helps the situation become familiar, with spectacular detail being during descriptions. All of these factors together help build a very strong and effective chapter as the script from then on becomes vaguely predictable, with the readers expecting to know the characters and lay out well enough to recognise their reactions to any/all situations that may arise.

The introduction of characters opens the chapter in suspense as all is not revealed immediately: “ The fair boy & the fat boy.” Golding’s approach in the opening chapter to the characters is effective as it doesn’t introduce them by name, but more by personality type. Upon reading this, you automatically believe you know the two characters and feel comfortable envisaging the two children stranded on an island rather young and clueless to the dangers of the island, with the concept of no food, water, shelter or food not phasing them. This also shows their immaturity, as a normal adult would immediately try to work a logical & strategic yet plausible plan of getting back to reality or how to survive. The fact that later on ‘the fat boy’ later is addressed by ‘Piggy’ strengthens the stereotype placed upon him, with ‘the fair boy’ being given quite a polite and gentle name of Ralph.

William Golding’s use of descriptive language builds a clear image of the scenery: “ All round him the long scar smashed into the jungle was a bath of heat” . Such attention to detail allows us as the readers to be part of the story, placing us right in the scenery. The use of onomatopoeia such as ‘smash’ put emphasis on the beforehand scenes we aren’t exposed to, as we aren’t told they’re in a plane crash, yet the fact the scar ‘smashed’ into the island lets us know it was something with pretty heavy impact, it is quite a violent term. Describing it as a ‘Scar’ also tells a story as you regard a scar as being something unsightly and unwelcomed, possibly damaging attractive scenery. It shows us that it has damaged the island significantly. The metaphor ‘scar’ may also imply that the damage caused was irreversible as scars often are, which in turn just emphasises the impact the children/previous events have had on the island.

The way the characters are portrayed hints at a possible chance of survival: “Nobody don’t know we’re here”. During a conversation early on between Piggy & Ralph, Piggy intends to inform Ralph they’re stranded as no-one actually knows they’re there, but in matter of fact expresses that somebody does in fact know they’re on the island. This is because the double negative comment actually contradicts itself, and by intending to say nobody knows their whereabouts’ he actually does the opposite. This could be argued that Golding is doing this intentionally to push you to read on by leaving you, in a sense, subliminal messages. This also shows the importance of the characters personality type, as Piggy can be perceived as quite ‘dopey’, and only through him can William Golding voice such un-educated comments, and effectively and at the same time very cleverly hint at survival.      

The conch acts as a means of authority and Ralph soon becomes graced with power: “The children gave him the same simple obedience that they had given to the men with megaphones”. This shows Ralph as the natural leader and puts him in the same figure head roll as the parents. The conch shows authority and is soon likened to the megaphones of the parents. It almost shows Ralph as a religious symbol, as if he has the power of God now he has full control of the island, and everyone is at his lead while he stands on a rock taller than everyone there with the conch. It is argued that this is a very important factor during the opening chapter of ‘Lord of the Flies’ as you wonder whether the conch is going to fall into the wrong hands, and in turn, the authority and power that comes with it – soon over powering the natural but fair leader; Ralph.

Some of the aspects previously mentioned lead me to believe the ‘Lord of the Flies’ is going to be very eventful and could go either way in terms of surviving or making it off the island. After simply reading just the first chapter I find myself wanting to get answers to such questions as “How can a series of young boys create a survival plan and make it off the island?” or “was Piggy deliberately talking in double negatives to make us believe on thing contrary to another?” William Golding has created a very effective opening scene and should appeal to a vast audience, urging them to read on further after appealing so strongly during the opening chapter.