What do you think about Ralph and the way he speaks and behaves at different times in Lord of the Flies? How does the novel's social, cultural, and...

Through actions and dialogue, Golding portrays Ralph as a typical British school boy in the post World War II era. Golding does not want to make Ralph seem too perfect, so he has Ralph say and do several things that show that he has the mean streak that is typical of boys his age, a streak that tends toward bullying those who are considered less attractive or popular. In fact, when the only two characters are Ralph and Piggy in chapter 1, Ralph asserts his dominance over Piggy by betraying his confidence and laughing at his nickname. He also taunts him, saying, "Sucks to your auntie," and "Sucks to your ass-mar," showing the kind of verbal sparring that boys of that age in that time period would have used. While exploring the island, Ralph also gets into a good-natured tussle with Simon and Jack, a typical way of male bonding for that age group among British school boys. During the first part of the book, Ralph is drawn to Jack as someone worthy of his friendship, and Piggy is often made the butt of jokes. However, when Jack and Ralph find themselves at odds with each other, Ralph becomes more dependent on Piggy, and ultimately he acknowledges, to himself at least, that Piggy has the most superior intellect of all the boys, even himself. Ralph is able to show some determined leadership, especially when reprimanding the boys for letting the signal fire go out. He stands in one place and commands the boys to build the fire, probably mimicking the attitude of his own father or other authority figures in his culture. When the boys all circle around Robert in a mock pig hunt, Ralph joins in, finding "the desire to squeeze and hurt" to be "over-mastering." Ralph is able to express his doubts and emotions, but he usually does that in a small group of safe friends, usually with Simon and Piggy. They speak together of the "majesty of adult life" that would do a much better job of maintaining the culture than Ralph feels he is doing.

Ralph's lowest point of behavior is undoubtedly when he takes part in the feast where Simon is murdered. He and Piggy speak together afterwards and Ralph expresses horror at what they have done, showing the cultural mores he has internalized. However, he soon joins with Piggy in rewriting history, reflecting how humans react to overwhelming guilt. After that, Ralph does his best to hold onto civilization and culture as much as he can. He refuses to join Jack's band of savages, and he refuses to use paint on his face and body. When he plans to visit Castle Rock to negotiate with Jack, he wants to wash up and look like they used to look, showing that he remembers and still believes in the British code of cleanliness and proper attire. When he finds the pig's skull on a stick, he instinctively recoils and smashes it, again showing how he retains the values of his British culture and refuses to succumb to the savagery of the other boys. At the end of the book, when the boys meet the naval officer, Ralph remembers how to speak to adults with respect, and answers him, "No, sir." He then gives way to "shuddering spasms of grief," showing that, after all, he is still only a normal British schoolboy from the mid-20th century.