Lord of the Flies Group

Question:

abroader
abroader
Student
High School - 10th Grade

When does Ralph realize that rational thought has been beaten as he and Piggy have lost their authority over the other boys?

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Posted by abroader on Monday February 9, 2009 at 1:29 PM and tagged with authority, lord of the flies, piggy, ralph, rational thought.

Answers:


  1. dswain001 Teacher
    Middle School

    eNotes Editor

    Initially, the boys see Ralph as their leader. He is rational. With him, there is order and it is this that makes their situation easier to bear. But the longer they are on the island and the more they succumb to Jack's influence, the boys decide that order comes second to survival. When the last of the boys join Jack's group of hunters, Ralph begins to realize that the order and civility that he has been fighting so hard to maintain is lost. The boys have given in to the savagery of their basic survival instincts. Their only objectives are to hunt and eat. Being rescued isn't a factor which is evidenced in Chapter 5 when the Ralph reprimands them for neglect their chores. For Ralph, if some sort of order is maintained, the greater their chances of being rescued and taken back home. But, for Jack and his group, their main goal is to survive.

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    Posted by dswain001 on Tuesday February 24, 2009 at 11:39 AM