Civilization can be considered a state of highly sophisticated thoughts, manners and tastes in human society. One can distinguish between the civilized and the savage by observing their conducts. A civilized individual's demeanors are influenced by society's laws and their sense of morality while savages act on their instinctual and primitive urges. In William Golding's Lord of the Flies, a group of young boys are stranded on a deserted island, and here the aftermath of a world deprived of society and organization is brought to light. The decline of order and civilization on the island can be attributed to Ralph's lacking leadership qualities, discipline and authority among the children, along with men's innate capacity for evil and savagery, as well as the absence of adult presence on the island. .
Although his actions were of good intentions, his inability to assert his authority upon the children made Ralph a major contributor to the breakdown of organization and civilization on the island. Ralph's biggest shortcoming as leader was his misconception that everyone else was as honest and well balanced as himself, judging all the children by his own standards. As an open-minded and reasonably civilized person, Ralph believed in keeping composure, being optimistic and reaching a mutual agreement. Adhering to these beliefs, Ralph leads a government where he attempts to please everyone's needs, and a society where everyone gets a fair say. "Jack's in charge of the choir. They can be-what do you want them be?" (31). Here, out of his goodwill and also partly as compensation for Jack's loss in the election, Ralph appoints Jack as the leader of the hunters as an attempt to get Jack on his side. Ultimately, however, giving any power to a boy like Jack, who would simply yearn for more, proves to be a fatal mistake. Furthermore, Ralph lacks in intelligence: "He's like Piggy. He says things like Piggy.