First of all, Ralph is chosen as the leader for nebulous reasons. He hasn’t actually exhibited any leadership skills, except when he blew the conch and all of the boys came, drawn to the sound. He is elected leader almost immediately.
None of the boys could have found good reason for this; what intelligence had been shown was traceable to Piggy while the most obvious leader was Jack. But 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 powerfully, there was the conch. (Ch. 1)
Jack has leadership experience because he is the head of the choir. He leverages the choir to become leader of the hunters, and then slowly creates a schism between his followers and Ralph’s followers, undermining his leadership.
Ralph’s leadership problems extend beyond Jack. He doesn’t know how to get the boys to do what he wants. Ralph tries to provide civilization and order to the island, but the boys are usually not interested in his ideas. Getting them to work is next to impossible.
“Been working for days now. And look!”
Two shelters were in position, but shaky. This one was a ruin.
“And they keep running off. You remember the meeting? How everyone was going to work hard until the shelters were finished?” (Ch. 3)
Jack’s way is more fun. The boys would rather paint their faces and eat pig meat than build shelters and mind a signal fire. Even when Ralph’s ideas are good, nothing comes of them. He doesn’t know how to get the other boys to listen to him.
After Simon and Piggy have died and most of the boys are allied with Jack, Ralph blames himself for what happened. He believes he should have been a better leader and prevented the tragedies that unfolded.
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