By
chapter 2,is establishing himself as a leader when some members of the group become worried
about the "beastie." First, Ralph assures the group that "we shall be
rescued," and this immediately lifts the spirits of the group with the "weight of
Ralph's new authority." He goes on to explain to them:
My father's in the Navy. He said there aren't any unknown islands left. He says the
Queen has a big room full of maps and all the islands in the world are drawn there ... And
sooner or later a ship will put in here ... So you see, sooner or later, we shall be
rescued.
Ralph speaks with authority, and the group
listens. With the help of a couple of supportive and fairly wise (for their ages) voices, he
begins to develop plans to sustain the group on the island, prioritizing shelter and
fire:
We can help them to find us. If a ship comes near
the island they may not notice us. So we must make smoke on top of the mountain. We must make a
fire.
This immediately motivates the boys, and quickly
"half the boys were on their feet." This quote both shows that Ralph can effectively
lead the group into action and that he understands the ultimate priority:
getting rescued. He is not lost in the fantasies of make-believe that some of the boys become
focused on.
Later, Ralph andgo with some of the older boys to try to find the
beast. While out exploring, some of Jack's group gets off task with exploring a rocky cliff and
even suggest moving camp to this area. It is Ralph's voice of reason that once again leads the
group back to an organized and sensible plan:
There's no
food here ... and no shelter. Not much fresh water. I say we'll go on! We've got to make
certain.
Ralph both stays focused on the primary needs of
the group without becoming distracted by Jack's primal needs for lawlessness
and remains focused on the most important goals of the momentthis time, to
determine where the beast is and what exactly they are up against.
In many
situations (though not all), Ralph proves his ability to lead the group with organization and
with clear thinking.
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