Overconfidence and Fear in Democracy (Lord of the Flies Book Analysis)

📌Category: Books, Lord of the Flies, William Golding, Writers
📌Words: 922
📌Pages: 4
📌Published: 11 February 2022

To what extent does overconfidence influence our personal relationships? To some, the honest answer could be quite a lot. This might be due to an arrogant attitude that we may embrace from time to time. Some are more arrogant than others. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, we see how a group of boys go from sharing a common goal of being rescued to the complete anarchy that later ensued on the island. Our main protagonist, Ralph, is the individual who is democratically elected to lead the group of boys on the island. This puts Ralph in a position of leadership, authority and power to make well-informed decisions that benefit everyone on the island. Proper democracy requires a proper leader that knows how to keep everyone in check. However, democracy doesn’t matter if the person in charge fears the power and authority that they possess. Democracy can’t be maintained if the individual in charge causes fear and resentment among the population. Being overconfident while being in a position of power causes you to lose touch with the people you represent because it makes them fear and resent your leadership. This in turn causes democracy to inevitably fall along with it.

You need to stand up against those who try to undermine the system, and defend those who are being ridiculed so that everything is balanced. The fundamental part of stable democracy is letting everyone have a voice to give their opinions and ideas. Ralph was chosen to lead the group of boys on the island. This gives him the responsibility to do what is best for everyone. One thing that I noticed early in the book is how much Ralph picks on Piggy. Piggy is a chubby kid with glasses and asthma. This causes him to be bullied by people like Jack, who is the main antagonist. We see a prime example of this when Piggy begins to speak, and Jack says “You’re talking too much, shut up, fatty” (17). Laughter proceeded afterwards, even from Ralph, as he chimed in with “He’s not Fatty, his real name’s Piggy” (17). You would expect the person that was just chosen to be leader to immediately call Jack out. Instead, Ralph decides to actually engage with picking on Piggy. This caused Piggy to become scared of others, and come across as just this weird kid with nothing to contribute. For example, Piggy suggested that they make a sundial to “know what the time [is]” (68). Ralph aggressively denounced this idea, stating “a fat lot of good that would be” (68). Each idea Piggy had was treated as if it meant nothing. Ralph picking on Piggy like this causes him to lose confidence in the system, because he isn’t being treated as an equal to everyone else. Even if Piggy had a good idea that could actually be helpful, no one would take it seriously because of the perception that was artificially created of him. 

Healthy democracy is maintained when multiple different viewpoints are being heard. This creates open discussion and debate among the group to determine what is best for everyone. The Conch is a symbol of this; it gives the individual who possesses it the authority to speak their mind without being interrupted. However, this rule seems a bit more flexible when it comes to Piggy in particular. He is often interrupted and discriminated against even while he is holding the Conch. Jack says things like “The conch doesn’t count on top of the mountain, so you shut up” (42). Ralph lost touch with Jack as he found ways to undermine the democracy of the island to use it to his benefit. Jack undermines the democracy of the Conch by interrupting Piggy while he is speaking. This becomes blatantly apparent while Piggy states that he “[doesn’t] believe in no ghosts” (97). Jack abrasively got up and interrupted with complete disregard for the Conch by saying “who cares what you believe, fatty” (97). Ralph is present in all of these situations, yet he has no urge to say or do anything about it. Given the position he was just voted into, his job is to be an advocate for free speech among the group. Without free speech, there is no democracy.  If Piggy can’t have confidence in the one symbol of free speech on the island, then how can you call that proper democracy?

Preserving democracy means fighting for it and not taking it for granted. Expecting everyone to just follow the rules without actually enforcing them is incredibly flawed. Later on in the book, Ralph starts to become a bit more wise with utilizing his leadership position. While at an assembly, Piggy is being interrupted by Jack once again even though he had the Conch. Ralph tells Jack that he is “breaking the rules!”, to which Jack responds with “who cares?” (98). This illustrates how far Ralph has lost touch with Jack. Jack has found ways to undermine the system by repeatedly interrupting Piggy while he speaks. He knows he can sabotage the system, and he is using that to his advantage. Jack forms a rebellion against Ralph’s leadership in chapter 8, which marks the beginning of the end for the democracy on the island.  People abandoned Ralph’s side until he was the only one left. Piggy, who had ironically become Ralph’s last true ally, was killed by Jack’s tribe, along with the destruction of the Conch. This all just goes to show how without a proper leader, things begin to fall. 

The effort you put into being a leader is the result you will get. If you care, things will flourish. If you don’t care, things will fall and crumble around you. Overconfidence isn’t the key to a healthy democracy, but rather a balance between perseverance and sympathy. Having the attitude of getting things done, but also being an understanding leader that hears people out. Do we depend on democracy, or does democracy depend on us?

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