It was important because it was the one thing on the island that brought order and respect to the boy that held it. Even though Ralph was not truly the most suitable boy to be the leader of the tribe, he was eager to have an opportunity of leadership. The problem was that he was selected purely based on his charisma and aura. This charisma was something that Ralph possessed; however, Piggy, the true leader, did not posses it. Thus, Piggy represented the inequality of man that Rousseau describes in his essay.
"If only they could send us something grownup ... a sign or something." shows that Ralph also feels that grownups are important in guiding them and that they are the most knowledgeable, having a solution to everything. However, at the end of the novel when an adult actually appears, he is very clueless and ignorant of what is happening even when told about the death and killings. When the whole island was burning, he could still “grin cheerfully at Ralph” and tried to be funny with him by asking “having a war or something?” Even during such a serious time when the boys were really having a war and the whole island was actually burning down, the officer could still make jokes and take things lightheartedly. This shows how ignorant he is and how he doesn’t understand the severity of this situation.
He believes that as long as they stay civilized they can easily survive, live in harmony, and eventually be rescued. “We’ve got to have rules and obey them,” (42). Ralph insists on having rules on the island and at first Jack agrees with him although his jealousy for Ralph’s power drives him to constantly undermine and disobey Ralph and his requests. By blowing the conch Ralph can call a meeting whenever he likes, to discuss issues and give orders. “‘Ralph sat on a fallen tree
They believe in keeping the signal fire a top priority so their chances of being saved are much greater. Some ideas that are civilized on the island are choosing a leader, the conch shell, signal fire, and building shelter. On the other hand, the uncivilized characters are Jack and Roger. Jack is power hungry and wants to be leader, not for the good of the boys, but so he has all the power. He doesn’t care for civilization.
Jack hunted instead of built shelters with Simon. This is very significant because it exhibits Ralph’s leadership and shows his understanding of the situation. The main goal for the society is to be saved but Ralph understands that they might not be saved for a while so they must build shelters to survive. | Individual Freedoms | “Simon was floating
Ralph was probably the most influential person at the beginning of the novel since he was a leader. While everyone was concerned with having fun, Ralph was more worried about doing whatever he could to get rescued. Seen in chapter 2 when Ralph says “If a ship comes near they island they may not notice us”. “We must make a fire” (38). Ralph’s ability to persuade the boys to behave civilly was most impressive until the boys slowly began to become savage.
Huck questions why he has not turned in Jim because he wants to be what society depicts as good, but in reality, he does what he knows is right. While Huck is on the raft alone, he begins to question why he helps Jim escape while Miss Watson has done nothing wrong to him. Huck feels terrible but he cannot bring himself to pray that he can do the right thing. “I was trying to make my mouth say the right thing and the clean thing, and go and write to that nigger’s owner and tell where he was; but deep down in me I knowed it was a lie-and He knowed it. You can’t pray a lie-I found that out” (Twain 227).
In the early parts of the novel the signal fire is an important part of the boys’ lives since it is the only thing that can possibly get them rescued off the island. “The fire is the most important thing on the island… is a fire too much for us to make?” (Golding 80) This fire is the boys’ main priority because they want to be rescued and return to society. When the fire extinguished, later throughout the novel, it was a sign of lost desire to be rescued and acceptance to the savage live on the island. In other words, the burn out of a signal fire is the equivalent to losing sight of a goal. At the end of the novel, when the fire went chaotic and started to burn up the entire island, it was the destruction that arose from it that rescued the boys off the island.
To illustrate and provide sufficient proof of his ideal, Golding presents the novel through 3rd person allowing him to control what we see and how we should interpret it; reinforcing the point he is trying to communicate. Probably the most significant and most relevant symbol used by Golding, is the enigma of the ‘Beast’. Although many of the boys on the island believe in the existence of ‘the beast,’ it is not a real creature that can be hunted and killed, rather it is present inside their hearts and personalities, and always has been. But only Piggy and Simon are civil and wise enough to realize that and they constantly voice that truth throughout the novel. For instance when Simon says “What if there is a beast…Maybe it’s only us.” However, both boys are ignored and both end up killed by the beast that exists within the savages.
By not allowing his civilization to slip away, Simon is able to understand what the beast truly is: it is a savage instinct that is inside all of the boys that influences their every decision. Simon also shows morality when he tries to explain to the other boys that the beast does not exist. It would be easier for him to go along with Jack, and blend in with the crowd, but that is not his character. Simon knows that the beast does not exist, and he cannot be swayed away from this belief, because it would be against his moral