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

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at: "he felt himself facing something ungraspable. The eyes that looked so intently at him were without humor" (Golding, 32). Ralph recognizes that Jack has a certain strength that he does not possess and that Jack's natural leadership of the choir boys may make him a superior leader. Ralph's inability to diffuse fears of the beast that the little boys believe lives in the jungle, coupled with his inability to prevent Jack from taking control are part of the reason why he is defeated. Ralph recognizes that "the rules are the only thing we've got" but Jack knows better, stating that "bollocks to the rules! We're strong - we hunt! If there's a beast, we'll hunt it down! We'll close in and beat and beat and beat-!" (Golding, 84). Jack is totally disinterested in following the rules that Ralph has laid down for an orderly society that is inherently democratic. His threat is very real and is evident when he says to Ralph: "And you shut up! Who are you anyway? Sitting there telling people what to do. You can't hunt, you can't sing!" (Golding, 84). Jack's threat to Ralph's leadership is very real and many of the boys, particularly the members of the choir and the hunters prefer Jack's authoritarian and often violent le

Category: Literature - L