Imagine being trapped on an undiscovered island after a plane crash, at the young age of twelve. In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, a boy named Ralph is placed in this situation. He is charismatic and logical when it comes to ideas for order on the island. Ralph is also fair for the most part when creating an organized society on the island. He always stayed hopeful which was excellent because others gradually lost hope as the time went on, but Ralph always had a spark of hope within himself. Ralph is a good character and struggles for democracy and order on the island, and keeps hope even when the organization turns to chaos. .
When the boys hear the sound of the conch, they come running. After speaking to them about the situation at hand Ralph says, "Seems to me we ought to have a chief to decide things"(19). With that statement, the beginning of a government is established among the boys. When a vote was taken, all of the boys voted for "the boy with the shell", aside from Jack Merridew's choir, which was kept from voting for Ralph against Jack. Ralph is enthusiastic with his planning from the very start, and he decides to take a few boys, Jack and Simon, to explore the land and to establish that it is truly an island. Even when the land they are walking on becomes covered with undergrowth and creepers as thick as their thighs, Ralph is fascinated with the environment. He shows enthusiasm rather than fright or frustration, as others may have reacted. After Ralph, Jack and Simon determine their surroundings to be an island, Ralph brings up the idea of needing hunters. He follows a logical train of thought through the remainder of his planning for the government.
One of Ralph's best leadership qualities, although sometimes not effective with a group of young boys, is that he is fair to everyone. He says " I"ll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold on to it while he's speaking"(29).
