No Clear Hero in Lord of the FliesJoin now to read essay No Clear Hero in Lord of the FliesThe idea of a hero is a complicated one and there are several possible interpretations in Lord of the Flies. In action films the hero is usually the good guy even if he (or she) is quite violent. Action heroes are strong and tough and think quickly when there is a problem. In novels the hero can simply be the main character of the story, though usually we feel some sympathy for him or her as well. Sometimes the hero is someone quite unexpected, who manages to do or say things that earn our respect and admiration. In Lord of the Flies there is no clear hero but there are three possible candidates for the description, Jack, Ralph and Simon.
Jack could have been the action hero of the novel. He is strong and tough and usually thinks quickly when there is a problem. When he first appears he is the leader of the choir and he has the ability to keep them under control and make them do as he wants. Later on he becomes the leader of the hunters and is a good example to his followers. Jack is also physically brave and when he, Ralph and Roger went off to hunt the beast “Jack led the way”. Unfortunately, Jack is not good at co-operating with Ralph and Piggy and his obsession with hunting leads to the fire going out when a ship is sighted. When the three boys mistake the dead airman for the beast, Jack takes decisive action but does not really face up to the problem. He takes the boys to a part of the island that is safer and tries to buy off the beast by leaving the pigs head as a sort of offering. Jack thus has many qualities required to be a hero but when he is in control he bullies the boys and is partly responsible for the deaths of Simon and Piggy. He is not deliberately evil but his actions often have evil consequences, so Jack cannot really be considered a hero in the novel.
Ralph starts off well in the novel. He is the first person we meet on the island and he becomes leader by popular vote. He does not seem ambitious like Jack and at first he makes genuine attempts to run life on the island properly. Ralph is brave. He leads the expedition to explore the unknown island, he goes off to face the beast, and when the going gets tough he does not just give up. Ralph is also honest. Unlike Piggy, he admits that the death of Simon is “murder” and that he was partly involved. Another reason for considering Ralph the hero of the book is that he is at the centre of the story. The novel begins and ends with his views and we spend more time with Ralph than with any other single character. Ralph therefore qualifies as the hero of the novel in many ways, but
Soufflé: The Legend of Ralph is one of the most important and original stories to me. The novel is well written and beautifully written. This would be difficult to summarize, to say the least, except that the novel’s character is compelling. It’s not just the people who are shown to be evil as a hero. Ralph has a strong character that you see when you read this book which is really refreshing. Ralph does not have to be evil to be a bad guy, he’s all about finding ways to be who he was and doing the right things. He also does have his mistakes, he says bad things, he does a lot of good things, and he is a pretty good character. In a way that was a surprise to me. The character’s writing is excellent. It’s an intense read, but it is also very unique. That may be because it was written as a novel, in the middle of the war where the military was working, to do well. It was a very complicated fight. It’s hard to predict their course and their future. The military has a terrible attitude, but for Ralph this is more than just bad actions. The military is not happy and they all get the same treatment. Sometimes things get the better of them and Ralph and the other soldiers become allies because for some reason they get to help both of them. After the conflict with the rebels, Ralph is saved. But there are a few reasons why the military sees Ralph as his enemy. Some of these are not explained, but some of them were hinted at or made clear and so are worth mentioning. Firstly, he has friends and relationships, and these become more complicated than they were if he has a hard time growing up. In the case of Ralph we know he’s got a daughter, but is he on the move somewhere? How has he become involved with the rebels, is it the idea he has his own home, or whether he wants to change it? We also know he’s been struggling a bit with the idea of getting married. In this case Ralph is living alone, and his problems begin to come into focus. How he feels about his own marriage is also a big issue that the military does not talk about. The second and major motivation for this part is that in a way, Ralph’s relationship with his girlfriend is about to start deteriorating. She is his best friend, he loves her, and he can see through her lack of expectations and she is more concerned about his well being than she could be. Ralph even has to deal with things outside of family. One of those things is money, and I think it’s an important way of getting Ralph’s support. In a way, Ralph’s marriage to Maria-Piggy was about a year or so ago, and Maria-Piggy is on an emotional rollercoaster right now, much later than he was last time. Ralph is very good at coming between people, or rather, at getting things done. In the middle of this breakdown, Maria-Piggy tells Ralph and Ralph not to