Self-Confidence in Beowulf in Lord of the Flies

“With realization of one’s own potential and self-confidence in one’s ability, one can build a better world.” (Dalai Lama) Lord of the Flies and Beowulf encompass protagonists who must overcome their own issues they embody throughout their plots. Self-confidence is one of few each has to figure out to survive. Because Beowulf is portrayed as an epic hero, aware of who he is and fearless of anything, and Ralph is seen as a hero who struggles to find himself throughout the novel, constantly battling against himself, their traits directly affect the potential outcome of themselves. This essay will discuss how each character deals with crises such as individual adversaries, self-confidence, and the foreseeing of death. Separating the way each is viewed in their respective pieces. 

Both Beowulf and Ralph encounter adversaries during their time. For example, in Beowulf, he battles many supernatural beings such as Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the Dragon. Consistently showing how his battles are based on physical and mental strength providing common traits repeatedly seen as fitting to his character. On the contrary, Ralph’s battles are most often fought against himself. One example is how poorly he was able to cope when Piggy and Simon died. This shows that Ralph is incapable of handling tragedy when presented to him. This, therefore, fortifies the fact that Beowulf is fearless and understanding of himself while Ralph still struggles to regroup after adversity playing a role in how the two will later be affected by this.

Beowulf and Ralph’s self-confidence differs from another. Beowulf conveys his self-confidence through his “powerful” mindset. An example of this is when it was said Beowulf has “the strength of thirty in the grip of each hand.” (lines 380-381) Due to his superhuman strength, it is understandable that he retains the confidence he has even when fighting against creatures like Grendel. Even though Ralph doesn’t possess any outstanding traits like Beowulf, it doesn’t make up for the fact that he lacks self-confidence. In chapter 5, Ralph begins to question his ability as a leader before holding an assembly because the boys are veering away from the initial “rules.” Time and time again throughout the novel, Ralph is seen questioning his actions showing how his self-confidence is a major flaw he can’t seem to fix. This all relates to how both Beowulf and Ralph’s self-confidence directly affect the way they end up.

Between Beowulf and Ralph, the foreseeing of death is shared but dealt with differently. Because Beowulf is seen as an epic hero and has high self-confidence, his vision of death is that of no others. In Beowulf, it states that he is“indifferent to death.” (line 1443) Meaning he had grasped the fact that eventually, his time would come and had to accept it. While Beowulf didn’t think too much of it, Ralph did. The statement: “‘I wasn't scared. I was-I don't know what I was.’" (Golding 156) and repetition of the phrase: “Don’t scream.” (Golding 198) proves that Ralph, after all, was horrified of dying. Based on the way he remarked these lines, it is evident that Ralph had a different view on death compared to Beowulf. This then relates to how the foresight of death affects both Beowulf and Ralph in the end. 

In conclusion, the evidence presented suggests that while comparing Beowulf and Ralph, they are contrasting characters. While their respective pieces both present themes like adversaries, self-confidence, and the foresight of death, the two handle them in opposing fashion. Thus making them the individual hero they are viewed as throughout each plot.