Ralph and Jack in Lord Of The Flies Essay Example

In the book The Lord of the Flies, two of the main characters “Jack and Ralph” show how they can be alike and different in several different ways. Ralph and Jack use their leadership roles that they show and take place in show how alike but different they can be from each other. Both Jack and Ralph are very different people, but share a lot of the same qualities and characteristics. I’ll be explaining how they can be alike and different. 

First, Ralph and Jack are best known for being the “leaders” in The Lord of the Flies. This mainly shows how alike they can be but the way they see things differently from each other and have different views on things. The way they show similarities for example, show how they can both separately be viewed as a leader. They are good at being recognized as a leader. They both can demand orders from their followers. Despite the fact that they are known for being leaders, they also are both extremely independent. When it comes to making decisions, they both want to think independently and on their own, they don’t want anyone else’s help unless needed. However, they use their leadership roles differently. Ralph is more careful about his followers and make sure they are always okay. Jack on the other hand likes to think about himself first in all situations and will not help his followers unless it benefits him. Ralph is very mature and makes good decisions on the things that he does in his job, he makes sure that everyone is always doing good as well as himself. Jack stated “I ought to be chief... because I’m chapter chorister and head boy” this shows that he feels that he needs to be chief and can be selfish.  Jack is very immature and impulsive about his decisions and doesn’t second guess the things that he does. 

Furthermore, when it comes to social skills and the boys view on them, both Ralph and Jack reflect very differently, though there still are similarities. Ralph and Jack are both looked upon as great leaders and role models to the boys. Their confidence, wits and independence make the boys perceive them as superior to everyone else. This makes them very “well-known” and popular to the rest of the group. However, they use this against their leadership skills differently. Jack takes advantage of it and treats them like slaves “Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Spill her blood.” This signifies that Jack is reckless and self-centered, he had no remorse. Jack likes to bully people for fun and be overall mean to everyone. Differently, Ralph treats everybody with respect and makes sure that everyone’s needs are met and taken care of at all times. When it comes to violence, Jack uses a lot of it and doesn’t care if he hurts another person or not in arguments. Ralph likes to civilly talk things out and make things better, not worse. 

Most importantly, the way Ralph and Jack think and their mindset in general can be seen the same way with some differences. These show who they are as people and why they act the ways that they do. In like matter they both care about leadership deeply and will both do anything they can to be leader. They are both extremely smart people and know how to get what they want. Due to them both being smart people, they use it on different terms. Ralph always wants the best for him and his group. Ralph quoted “Things are breaking up. I don’t understand why. We began well: we were happy.” While Jack only wants what’s good for himself. He’s greedy and will manipulate people into giving him what he wants and hear what he wants to hear. Ralph leads all the boys in the right direction, making sure everybody is safe. Jack is reckless and thinks in a “one for all” way, causing the followers to think the same and have everybody at risk. In conclusion, Jack and Ralph think the same way sometimes, though one is greedier than the other causing him to think differently. 

With the result on they are leaders, social skills, the way they are perceived, and the way they think and their mindset show that Ralph and Jack are very different but come with a lot of similarities. These three different reasons summed up that they show a lot of the same qualities and characteristics, as well as being very different from each other apart from that.