Lord of the Flies, published in 1954, is an allegorical novel by British author William Golding about a group of schoolboys stranded on a deserted island after their plane is shot down during the war. With no adults surviving the crash, the boys are left to fend for themselves. The protagonist, Ralph, is the leader of the boys, who struggles to maintain a functional and orderly civilization. The antagonist, Jack, is the leader of the hunters who eventually overtakes Ralphʼs power. Ralph and Jack are foils of each other. Ralph is civil and assumes responsibility to the community. Jack is a savage, a strong leader, and a decisive despot, while Ralph is indecisive, and a little soft. Through Ralphʼs lack of leadership and Jackʼs lust for power, which destroys the order on the island, Golding reveals the destructive effects of the flaws of human nature.

Ralph represents a democratic civilization that fails to maintain an orderly society due to the weakness of its leadership. At the beginning of the story, Ralph decides that they “ought to have a chief to decide things” and so the boys have a vote (22). The boys vote Ralph as chief, much to Jackʼs dismay, who proclaims that he “ought to be chief” because he is already the “head boy” of the choir (22). Wanting to avoid problems, Ralph is “eager to offer something” to please Jack (22). He assures Jack that “the choir belongs to [him]” and that “they can be [whatever he] want[s] them to be” (22). Ralph has good intentions to promote peace and civility, but his blind trust in Jack to do good will only backfire against him. As evidenced by Jackʼs self-indulgence in thinking he should be the chief, giving him power only makes him hungry for more power. Ralphʼs failure to see this was his failure in leadership. Jackʼs desire for power competes with Ralph. When people compete for power, they turn on each other. It creates instability, which undermines not only the function of government but also society. A leader who fails to prevent this from happening lacks foresight. Moreover, when allegiance to the government is based on profit, it is easy for people to turn against it when their desires are not satisfied. One of Ralphʼs greatest flaws in causing the decline of their island society is his disrespect and blatant ignorance of reason and logic. Ever since the beginning, Ralph ignored suggestions from Piggy, the intellectual thinker of the group who represents rationality and logic. When Piggy suggests that they build “a clock… a sundial,” Ralph mockingly replies that they might as well build “an air-plane, and a TV set” (64). He even claims that Piggyʼs “matter-of-fact ideas were dull” (65). Ralphʼs sarcastic response to Piggyʼs logical idea shows that he does not take Piggy seriously. Leaders who cannot see logic and reason fail to make rational decisions that can better the civilization. As seen later in the book, after an argument during an assembly, Jack and the others abruptly leave, leaving the assembly “shredded” into pieces (92). Piggy tells Ralph that he “got to be tough now” to call the boys back (92). Ralph “raised the conch to his lips” but then “lowered it” because he feared that “they [would not] come back” (92). Because of his distrust in the words of the character who represents logic and intellectualism, he fails to make the logical decision which is to regain control. Ralphʼs indecisiveness prevails, the consequence being that the boys become a “random scatter” (92) without leadership or direction. Furthermore, Ralph loses his sense of responsibility as a leader, saying that heʼs “had it” and that he “ought to give up being chief” (92 - 93). Just like many democratic institutions, Ralph has the good intention of maintaining an organized society. But he becomes indecisive and quickly loses his sense of responsibility when a difficult problem arises. The weakness of leadership, in this case, its inability to persevere through tough situations, causes democratic societies to fail.

Jack represents how the lust for power undermines civility and can lead to a tyrannical society deprived of order and democracy. From the moment Jack is introduced in the novel, he is portrayed as a man with a lust for power. When the boys are electing a leader, Jack claims that he “ought to be chief” because he “can sing C sharp” (22). His “simple arrogance” manner reveals his true nature of self-indulgence and lack of concern for others (22). Like how Jack justifies his authority with his singing skill that is completely unrelated to his leadership skills, people tend to find even the most irrational reason to justify their lust for power. Jack, wanting to prove his hunting skills, later becomes obsessed with killing a pig. When his first hunt failed, he “snatched his knife out… and slammed it into a tree trunk” in an attempt to demonstrate his power and assert control (31). When questioned by Ralph if he “care[s] to help with the shelters,” Jackʼs only excuse is “we want meat” (51). Using violence to demonstrate power and authority, Jack brings out the savage nature of human beings. The barbaric, savage instinct of humans causes the neglect of civil duties and responsibilities which are the backbones of an orderly society. Arguments break out between Jack and Ralph. At last, Jack decides that he is “not going to be a part of Ralphʼs lot” and goes to start his own tribe (127). He gets almost everyone to join and does everything he can to undermine Ralphʼs power. When confronted by Ralph, Jack “claims that “the conch,” which represents Ralphʼs authority, “doesnʼt count at [his] end of the island” (150). Jack went on to overthrow the very thing that maintains the society: Ralphʼs authority. He establishes a “tribe of painted savages” where all they do is “hunt and feast and have fun” (140 - 177). Jackʼs thirst for power drives him to overthrow the order and institutions that have always been in place. The new society he creates bears barely any characteristics of a civilized society; all they do is “have fun” with no concern for the environment or their own long-term survival. The inherent human desire for absolute power conflicts with and undermines a healthy, orderly society based on responsibility. And when there are no constraints to hold them in check, people lose their connection to the civilized world and act imprudently according to their true savage nature. Additionally, Jack establishes absolute control and silences those who oppose him. When the twin brothers Sam and Eric, who sided with Ralph, refuse to join his tribe, Jack “seized one of several spears ... and poked Sam in the ribs” and tortured them to abide by his rule (182). He becomes increasingly violent in his pursuit of power. A society under a tyrant that promotes violence undermines democratic values such as freedom of choice. Leaders who only care about their power give little care about the people they lead and thus use inhumane methods to fear the people into obedience. Such a society one deprived of civility and doomed to fall apart.

Jack, looking to destroy the last hope of order, looks to kill Ralph. He set the forest off with a fire in order to “smoke” Ralph out of his hiding spot (195). Jack and his tribe hunt Ralph down, chanting “ululations” and “crying out madly” as they chase after him (199). The “ululations” of the hunters reveal their savagery. When people are no longer bound by the rules and morals of society, they return to their malicious nature that is to destroy. What unleashes this savage nature is mankindʼs lust for power. Ralph, being the last remaining resemblance to rules and order, stands between Jackʼs complete control and power. The manhunt that Jack incites brings chaos and destruction, which both undermine civility and order. The tyrannical society which Jack creates is one that seeks to destroy order and one of mob mentality. The hunters chase Ralph out of the forest to an open beach. There, Ralph meets a “naval officer” (200). The burning forest had caught the attention of the cruiser that the officer was on. Jokingly, the officer asks Ralph if they are having a “war” and if there are “any dead bodies” (201). Stunned to learn that there are two casualties, the officer comments that he expected “a pack of British boys… would have been able to put up a better show” (201 - 202). Ironically, the reason that the officer is there in the first place is because of war. He prides himself on being civilized and condemns the boys for their savage behavior. But the war in which he participates is not much different from what the boys did, if not worse. The officer assures that he will “take [the boys] off” the island (201). Assumedly, the officer would then proceed to war and hunt down his enemy much like the same way the boys hunt down Ralph. The adult world, seemingly civilized and competent, in reality, is as evil and savage as the boys on the island. The horrendous failure of the boysʼ civilization on the island is a microcosm of society, revealing that it is the flaws of human nature that cause society to fail.