The four main characters in Lord of the Flies are well-developed characters with obvious strengths and weaknesses. Ralph's strengths are his willingness to put others first and his cooperativeness; his weaknesses are a lack of natural leadership and lack of focus. Piggy is highly intelligent and has a strong sense of right and wrong; unfortunately, he is obnoxious, physically weak, and whiny. Jack has an innate ability to get people to do what he wants and has drive; however, he is selfish and immature. Simon is insightful and kind, but he can't express himself well with words and has epilepsy.
The significance of how these strengths and weaknesses play out in the novel is that the people with the strengths that will be most beneficial to the society have weaknesses that get in the way, allowing Jack's strengths to lead the boys in a downward path. Although Ralph, Piggy, and Simon have the characteristics that the boys need to create a functioning society--altruism, intelligence, and insight--their weaknesses prevent them from effectively keeping the other boys in line. Even though Jack is selfish and childish, his strong leadership skills and ability to manipulate others allow him to gain control over the boys. The relationships between the boys' strengths and weaknesses demonstrate that someone who lacks principles but has charisma can sometimes be more successful in garnering and maintaining a following than those who have the best interests of others at heart but don't have the necessary people skills.
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