Role Models In Lord of the Flies, I have noticed a severe lack of good role models.

Throughout the book, most of the characters work hard to survive, and have a ba d tendency to fight amongst themselves. Though many of them did show at least s ome good nature or good will, such as when Ralph stood up for Piggy when Jack w as persecuting him throughout the book, most of the time, you would never consid er Ralph a good person. Personally, the two people in the book closest to good role models were Simon and Piggy. Simon stood up for what he believed, and actu ally tried to keep the two groups (Ralphs and Jacks) together, but he was killed b y the other boys after, in a frenzy they had assumed that he was the beast. Pig gy, on the other hand, always tried to be reasonable, and was referred to multip le times as the voice of reason throughout the book. Before delving deeper into why Simon and Piggy are the main role models, it should first be explained why the others on the island would not have made g ood role models. Ill start with Ralph. Ralph was a reasonable young man, but he held a darker side. First of all, Ralph could be a real jerk. In Chapter 1, P iggy told Ralph what they had called him back in England (i.e. Piggy), and he ex pected Ralph to not tell any of the other boys on the island, as he said I don t care what they call me, so long as they don t call me what they used to call me at school...They used to call me Piggy.. (Golding 11) However, at the first meet ing on the beach, when others asked what this fat boy was called, Ralph answered loudly Piggy. This mortified Piggy and revealed a portion of Ralphs true characte r. Also, though nowhere near as severe as Jacks own, Ralph held a primal side wi thin him. This is best exemplified when, in Chapter 9, he joined with Jacks hunt ers in a feast and a dance, during which they spotted a shadowy figure moving do wn the beach. In their frenzy, the boys, including Ralph, assumed that the figu re was the beast and attacked it. Only after they had killed it did they realiz e that the figure was really Simon, one of their own, and a friend of both Ralph and Jack. Then there is Jack. Though he started out as a perfectly reasonable hum an being and leader of an all boys choir, his want of power and blood drove him t o the verge of madness. He could never be classified as a role model for anyone other than a psychopath (Im looking at you, Joker). At first, his attempts to g rasp at power were small, as in the beginning, when a vote was called to see who would lead the tribe of boys, but as he failed to attain leadership again and aga in, he grew desperate, to the point of breaking of from Ralphs group to create a tribe of his own. And then theres the bloodthirstiness. This first really showe d itself on the first day on the island, when he, Ralph and Simon explored the i sland and they came across a pig. When he failed to kill it, Jack said Next time- He snatched his knife out of the sheath and slammed it into a tree trunk. Next time there would be no mercy. (Golding 31) That quote is the basis of Jacks blood thirstiness throughout the rest of the book, and he eventually rose up from kill ing pigs for food to killing pigs for the thrill of the hunt, like he said in I p ainted my face--I stole up. Now you eat--all of you--and I (Golding 74), and up to the point of killing people, as he showed when he killed Simon and had Piggy ki lled. Now Ill go into what made Simon and Piggy role models over the other boys . Simon was probably the kindest hearted person on the island. He always work ed to help others, such as when Ralph was building shelters, when the other boys went off to do their own thing, Simon stayed behind to help Ralph in the job. One of the best examples of Simons charity and selflessness is this, Simon found f or them the fruit they could not reach, pulled off the choicest from up in the f oliage, passed them down to countless outstretched hands. (Golding 56) Even when he was killed, he still tried to help the others, as earlier he had found what t he other boys believed was the beast ( a dead parachutist from the war), and he had been dragging it back to Jacks camp so that the boys could see that their fea rs were irrational when the boys mistook him for the beast that he was about to

disprove and was killed. Then there is our friend Piggy, the voice of reason. Though he never really actively stood up for what was right, he was always tryin g to convince Ralph and the other to do it for him. He was a shy, large boy, bu t he was quite intelligent, and there is a good chance that if the other boys ha d listened to his suggestions, they wouldnt have gotten in to the mess that they had. He always tried to stay out of and/ or repress any of the conflicts on the island, and he stuck by his friends, even if they were being jerks (cough cough Ralph). In the end, it was his trust in Ralph that got him killed, as, against his better judgment, he followed Ralph to Jacks camp to get his glasses back, bo th so he could see and so that his group could light fires again. Jack wouldnt h ave any of it and had his henchman Roger drop a boulder aimed at Ralph. The bou lder missed Ralph and hit Piggy instead; knocking him off of a cliff and breakin g his head open on the rocks below. All in all, I have to say that Simon is the best good role model in the whole book, as he was always willing to help others, even if it could cost him h is life. Piggy was also a good person, and though he wasnt quite as good as Simo n, he was very reasonable, as he said Life...is scientific....I know there isn t no beast...but I know there isn t no fear, either....Unless we get frightened of people. (Golding 84) He truly believed that the greatest thing to fear on the i sland was the other people, and unfortunately, he turned out to be right.