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Leadership Styles in Lord of the Flies

A. Ralph and Jack respectively represent transformational/ servant leadership and autocratic leadership styles.

B. The novel is about the conflict between these approaches to leading and structuring society.

A. Ralph as a transformational and servant leader.

B. Ralph's failures as a leader stem from his inherent fairness and his belief in justice.

A. Jack's autocratic, authoritarian leadership style appeals to the boys who are afraid of a strange "beast" that seems to threaten them.

B. Jack's appeal to the boys on the island.

IV. The Conflict Between Leaders

A. Jack's primacy and Ralph's exclusion

A. Jack's use of power leads to his dominance

B. The appearance of adult sailors prevents the total disintegration of the group.

William Golding's novel, Lord of the Flies, presents an interesting study in contrasting leadership styles. Among the group of young English schoolboys ejected from an airplane onto a deserted island populated only by wild pigs are two boys with leadership potential. Ralph, elected leader democratically at the outset of the story, is a representative of what can be characterized as a servant or transformational leader; such a leader uses persuasion and motivation to gain support for his position and policies (Miller, 180). Jack, in sharp contrast, is an authoritarian leader who uses fear, the exercise of power, and intimidation to literally force others to accept his leadership (Shields, 1). The novel is focused on the conflict between these approaches to leading and structuring society, while also representing a story of the total disintegration of normative structures and ethical constructs as young boys attempt to survive under challenging circumstances.

As a leader, Ralph exhibits his influence early on, using a conch shell to summon the boys to a meeting and asking them to join in (Golding, 17). Ralph introduc...

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Leadership Styles in Lord of the Flies. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 10:17, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/2000487.html