In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, there are multiple conflicts occurring throughout the novel. One of these conflicts is the struggle for leadership; which eventually destroys the friendship and civilization amongst the boys. In the beginning of the novel, Ralph is elected as the chief of the group of boys on the island but he later reveals his lack of maturity and lack of conviction; thus disproving his leadership skills. However, there is a potential leader amongst the group of characters that is introduced early in the novel – a young boy who gradually reveals his leadership qualities through his exemplified traits. That character is Piggy. Throughout the novel, Piggy is the most logical and rational boy on the island, verifying his capabilities in leading the group of boys. Piggy is a better leader than Ralph, and if Piggy was the chief from the start of the novel instead of Ralph, the group of boys would not have reverted back into their natural state of savagery.
Specifically, Ralph is an inadequate leader due to his lack of leadership qualities. For one thing, Ralph is immature. At the beginning of the novel, the conch is blown and all the boys on the island meet with each other. The elected chief, Ralph, decides to go on an expedition to decide whether they are on an island or not. The chosen explorers are Ralph, Jack and Simon. As they climb up the mountain, Jack challenges Ralph and Simon to push a boulder down the mountain, “The great rock loitered, poised on one toe, decided not to return, moved through the air, fell, struck, turned over, leapt droning through the air and smashed a deep hole in the canopy of the forest. Echoes and birds flew, white and pink dust floated, the forest further down shook as with the passage of an enraged monster: and then the island was still” (p. 25). Without any thought of the consequences for his actions, Ralph pushes a boulder the size of a small motor car down the mountain where there are...