Ralph gained most of his confidence from being accepted by everyone around him. As the days go by, Ralph became increasingly dependant on Piggy’s wisdom and often became lost in the confusion surrounding him.
As soon as Jack came into the picture, he seemed like the obvious leader (and he made it show) seeing as his he was the tallest boy. When the idea of there being a chief, Jack came in straight away “I ought to be chief” Jack says with simple arrogance, “Because I'm chapter chorister and head boy”. This boy is interesting to Ralph, he might be competition! But Ralph is voted for leader. His handsome features and the conch as a symbol of power and order made him stand out from the crowd of boys and led to his being proclaimed Chief. "There was a stillness about Ralph as he sat that marked him out: there was his size, and attractive appearance; and most obscurely, yet most powerful, there was the conch." Here he begins to mature and starts to think logically. He talks about making building huts and ways to increase the chance of being rescued, whilst all the other boys think about playing and messing about.
From the quick decisions he made as Chief near the beginning of the novel, it could be seen that Ralph was well-organized. But even so, Ralph began repeatedly to long and daydream of his civilized and regular past. Ralph became confused and began to lose in his speeches. "Ralph was puzzled by the shutter that flickered in his brain. There was something he wanted to say; then the shutter had come down." He started to feel lost in their new environment as the boys, apart from Piggy, began to change and adapt to their freedom. As he did not lose his sense of responsibility, his viewpoints and priorities began to differ from the savages'. Even though the significance of the fire as a rescue signal was slowly dismissed by the others, Ralph continued to stress the importance of the fire at the mountaintop.
Later on in the novel, Ralph loses the majority of his supporters, and Jack’s constant insistence to be chief grew. But even Ralph took part of evil activities, and had the opportunity to join the hunters and take part in their violence. "Ralph too was fighting to get near, to get a handful of that brown, vulnerable flesh. The desire to squeeze and hurt was over-mastering." As there were no rules for the boys to live by, they knew they had a type of freedom allowing them to do what they felt they wanted to do. Ralph felt very confused as he didn’t understand what Jack had against him and why their simple society collapsed. Ralph lost his self-confidence and he depended on Piggy more than ever.
Near the end of the novel, Ralph had to be independent, as he no longer had Piggy there or the conch as Roger killed Piggy and smashed the conch with the boulder. He was forced to look after himself and decide what to do when Jack and his followers were on the hunt for Ralph. Ralph gained his confidence knowing that his wisdom was greater than the other boys, it wasn’t about him being accepted by the other boys or the authority and power Jack had accustomed to. Ralph's more responsible behaviour set him apart from the other savage boys and made it difficult for him to realize and accept the changes they were undergoing. He realised this by the end of the novel. “Ralph wept…”
