Ralph’s desire for home is what drives him to lead the group of boys and to keep an orderly society on the island. Creating the signal fire was Ralph’s only way to get home and it is clear he knows this when he tells Jack “No fire, no smoke, no rescue.” This shows Ralph’s passion for their rescue, for his home and for the fire. Ralph’s longing for home is important because it is from this that he bases his decisions on and it’s his decisions that get the boys home. We all have a craving for love, warmth and home, but it is not until we are without these that it becomes obvious.
When Ralph finds a conch shell and uses it to call the boys from all over the island, they come running. The conch is a very powerful tool. When the boys have settled the conch is used to control the boys and to create an order on the island. A rule is set out by Ralph using the conch, “Whoever has the conch has got the right to talk”. This shows the conch’s power and Ralph’s leaderhsip. Again, Ralph’s determination for an ordered society is driven by his wanting to go home.
Ralph has strong relationships with many of the boys on the island, but his relationship with Jack is most important of all. Ralph’s relationship with Jack begins like the others, with friendship and respect. As time goes on, Jack’s aspirations on the island become noticeably different from Ralph’s which leads to conflict among the two boys. Their relationships change towards each other and among other people on the island as shown when “Jack looked round for understanding but found only respect. Ralph stood… his hands full of meat, saying nothing.” This illustrates the attitudes of the group towards Jack hunting and killing pigs, and Ralph’s attitude towards Jack. Ralph is ambivalent and cannot say anything because he is against the hunting and the killing. But Ralph needs Jack for his hunting, and Jack needs Ralph for his fire. The two boys depend on each other.
Ralph is an important character in the text Lord of the Flies by William Golding. He leads the group through making decisions, he forms order on the island and his relationships with other people and his longing for home help him get there.
