Stranded

The main character in the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a fair haired, twelve year old boy named Ralph. Ralph is heavily built yet athletic, like a boxer. He was taught how to swim by his father, who is a commander in the navy. Like the many other boys from Ralph's school, he is stranded on a deserted island. The only possessions that Ralph has are shoes, stockings, a grey shirt, a belt, shorts and pants.

The school boys were on a plane when it crashed on a deserted island. The pilot of the plane is not with boys so Ralph decides he will be the leader of the group. His friends Piggy and Jack help him with decision making. Piggy is a short, fat boy who wears glasses. Piggy tends to ramble on about his personal life, has a soft heart, and looks up to Ralph. Jack is the leader of the choir and is very efficient and has strong leadership qualities.

When Ralph finds a conch shell and blows into it, a loud note is produced. The sound draws in all the boys who are stranded on the island. When all the boys are present, they vote that Ralph should be the chief. Ralph then takes on measures to increase their chances of survival and rescue.

Ralph thinks that his father, being a navy commander, will rescue him. This drives Ralph to fight to stay alive on the deserted island. He is also the leader of the boys, many of them several years younger than himself. Ralph needs to be a role model for the younger children.

In the novel, Ralph faces many conflicts. Firstly, he must find food if the school boys are going to survive on the island. Ralph comes across a wild pig living on the island, but cannot bring himself to kill it before it runs away. Ralph also suggests they build a shelter on the island, but many of the boys are unwilling to help with the work and would rather go swimming. Only his friends Piggy and Jack understand why building a shelter is important. Ralph is also the elected leader of the group. In a way, the younger boys expect to be rescued soon and if they are not, they will likely blame Ralph.

Ralph does not remind of me of any other characters, but I do believe he is a plausible character. If I were in the same situation as he is, I would probably set up some system of leadership. I would assign different tasks to people such as hunting. Then I would focus on the basics of human needs like food, shelter, and water. I would work on keeping a fire going, much like Ralph does. He thinks that any ships or planes going past the island will see the smoke and come to the rescue. Ralph does the most plausible actions that a twelve year old stranded on an island would.