Carry On A Legacy

Leaders and followers -- It seems that the world cannot have one without the other. The importance of a leader-follower relationship matters a great deal in organizations that are deemed important. In both the real world and the world that is depicted in the book “Lord of the Flies.”, by William Golding, these constructed groups cannot function without determining how well their leaders can conduct said followers, and also, in great part, it depends on how well these followers heed instructions and take in this information. Without the leader, a follower has the potential to rise up and prove themselves to be a leader. Surely improving the performance of the followers, so they resemble said leader would be nice, but is becoming a replica of this leader truly going to help with spreading  words? The follower must provide some way to show the leader’s integrity, even in death. Whether it be alliances, or even wars. They must continue to spread the word of their leader.

With a leader’s death in a crucial point in time, they can sparked outrage within their community of followers. From distress to riots. Boundaries to wars. Two different sides of an argument can always show their dominance with different tactics to have the others fear them. Before the start of World War 1, Franz Ferdinand, the Archduke of Austria-Este, Austro-Hungarian and Royal Prince of Hungary and of Bohemia, was assassinated by a Serbian nationalist who opposed him. After his death, those who agreed with his decrees were outraged. The archduke’s death was the spark that started World War 1. In comparison, in the book, “Lord of the Flies”, the death of Piggy proceeded to have Jack fall further into being alone. Piggy was one of the boys that stayed by Jack until the very end, as it slowly dwindled down to those two being left. When Piggy dies, he is still trying to capture the attention of everyone since he has he conch. After his death, Ralph is now by himself, and everyone else is against him. In the book, on page 181, Jack begins to describe Ralph’s situation. He states, “See? See? That’s what you’ll get. I mean that! There isn’t a tribe for you anymore! The conch is gone! I’m chief!”. This truly shows that leaders can be left with nothing after their death, and Piggy and the Archduke are two perfect examples. After the Archduke was killed, his followers began to spark controversy, and eventually, World War 1 began. With Piggy, after his death, the boys were more intensified, and directed that intensity towards Ralph. One way that followers can show the power of their leader is revolting, and showing off that power with force.

After the death of prominent figures in the Civil Rights Movement, people such as Huey P. Newton, and even Martin Luther King, their followers take a much more civilized approach. Martin Luther King Jr., a civil rights activist from Atlanta, was assassinated for his thoughts on equal treatment to African Americans during the 1960’s. Huey P. Newton, co-founder of the Black Panther party, a guerilla force that fought for equality towards blacks, was also killed for his views on equal treatment towards African Americans. After their respective deaths, their followers continued to spread their teachings, but they were more civilized and peaceful regarding said topics. In “Lord of the Flies”, the example regarding Piggy could also be considered a good example for this. When Piggy died, Ralph had a change of heart, and realized that Piggy was the one that kept Ralph somehow connected to the boys. Without him, Ralph had finally lost contact with the other boys, and remained isolated from them. Once again, on page 181, after the boys are shocked at Piggy’s sudden death, Jack states, “See? See? That’s what you’ll get. I mean that! There isn’t a tribe for you anymore! The conch is gone! I’m chief!”. This represent the ties being severed. Piggy was considered the tie between Ralph and the other boys. The same goes with Martin Luther King and Huey P. Newton. They were the medium in which they got their point across to the caucasian race. These three would be considered those who help with bonding different groups of people together to walk side by side.  

Sure, there are leaders that have an impact on those that believe every word they say, but there are some leaders that became famous after their death. Multiple examples of this include Vincent Van Gogh, Emily Dickinson, and Gregor Mendel. These people never got the chance to experience their teachings and inventions reach other people, and they died before they became famous for what they created. In “Lord of the Flies”, Simon acquired the same fate. Simon knew the identity of the “beast”, and had the opportunity to tell everyone, so this circumstance involving the boys and their obsession with said monster would cease. In “Lord of the Flies”, in chapter 9, Simon spotted a figure that looked like and represented the beasts that everyone has been so desperately looking for. Simon decided to head back to the others and tell them of his findings. But once Simon returned, he was attacked by the boys for being mistakenly reported as the beast. In comparison to those who have died before seeing their ideas have an impact on others, Simon also never got the chance to tell the boys about the beast, which would have changed the outcome of the boys’ behavior.

Throughout the book, and throughout time, people have stood up to try and represent something within their community. In the book, Simon and Piggy are two of the children that had some kind of knowledge that could have helped, and possibly saved the group of boys. They are some that could have embodied leaders, but failed to do so with their unexpected deaths. Regarding those in the real world, they spoke what they believed in, and even after death, their followers continue to speak about their heroic qualities and achievements. Without these leader in both “Lord of the Flies” and the real world, their corresponding worlds would have been drastically different, either with or without their contributions to their communities.

Golding. William. Lord of the Flies. New York: Perigee, 2006

The Associated Press. "Huey Newton Killed; Was a Co-Founder Of Black Panthers." The New York Times. The New York Times, 22 Aug. 1989. Web. 07 Apr. 2016.