Bad characteristics and negative things Ralph did in Lord of the Flies?

Answer 1

Probably Ralph has three distinct weaknesses although in different circumstances they might not even be thought of as weaknesses. Ralph is too trusting, he judges other people based on his own fair and honest standards believing them to be the same when sometimes they are not. Ralph's calm and fair personality prevent him from engaging in overt displays of power and this can result in him appearing to be weak, when he allows other people to take the lead in things or doesn't force them to obey the rules. Finally Ralph has a tendency to lose track of what he is saying but to me at least this seems likely to be a symptom of petit mal epilepsy and as such is beyond his conscious control.

Ralph takes on the role of a leader, but when he is in charge he doesn't know what to say. He simply restates the obvious and repeats whatever Piggy tells him. He knows that Piggy speaks from wisdom so he takes those words to give himself credit as the one in charge.

Answer 2

Ralph is pictured as the protagonist in Lord of the Flies, but he still did some purdy bad stuff. Ralph indirectly caused the death of the kid w/ the birthmark, he was in the dance that killed Simon, he hindered survival on the island, etc. etc. I know this isn't the best answer and it sounds biased but it's not.

Answer 3

Probably Ralph's biggest shortcoming as a leader was that he made the mistake of judging everyone by his own standards. As a fair minded and reasonable boy he believed in discussing things and reaching a concensus of opinion. Once that decision has been reached by everyone he assumed that everyone else, like himself, would be prepared to carry through the decison and put in the necessary work. This was why he continued to build shelters with Simon even after the rest of the boys had run off to bathe, pick fruit and play. Ralph hoped that by setting a good example the others would return to the task and he also reasoned that the shelters were needed, regardless of who made them. Ralph saw the good in other people because he was inherently good himself. He was shocked by Jack's disregard for the rules, by Jack's lies about himself and later by the hatred which Jack bore for him. If Ralph had lost the initial leadership vote he would simply have accepted it and done his best to support the boy who had been elected. Ralph can't appreciate that Jack did not think in the same way, that Jack resented him and coverted his authority. This failing to appreciate that everyone else wasn't as honest and well balanced as himself led him to appointing Jack as the leader of the choir, partly as compensation for losing the election and party as an offer of genuine friendship. Ultimately however giving any power to a boy like Jack who would then simply hungry for more proved to be a fatal mistake. However when you consider the other possible candidates who might have been leader Ralph was probably the best choice and it seems that the boys instinctively knew this.