According to a political leader, Marcus Garvey, "Leadership means everything - pain, blood, death." William Golding's novel, Lord of the Flies, explores this concept of being a leader in the main characters. In the book, two of the boys, Ralph and Jack both strive to become a leader. The character of Ralph contradicts Garvey's comment as he grows weaker as a leader, and Jack grows stronger as a leader by using power and force. Though Ralph makes the better decisions for the society as a whole, Jack can persuade others to do as he wishes more. Through Jack and Ralph's leadership qualities, persuasive abilities, and symbols of power, an effective leader must be able to communicate and implement one's ideas in society even if it deals with violence.
An effective leader should have strong enough leadership qualities that allow him to communicate and implement his ideas successfully. Jack, the stronger leader, persuades others to listen to his ideas. For example, he makes the boys believe in the beastie. In an assembly, when the boys discuss the existence of the beastie, Ralph constantly asserts that the beastie did not exist. Jack reluctantly agrees with Ralph and adds that if there were a beastie he would hunt and kill it (36-37). Jack wants the boys to believe that the beastie exists because the fear gives him power since he hunts and can protect the boys. Haunting and killing the beastie involves pain, blood, and death but it gives sense of security to the boys as a leader. After a feast sponsored by the savages, Jack begins to recruit members for his tribe. Jack makes hunting and savagery look attractive by inviting them to hunt and feast and have fun (140). In this speech to the boys during the feast, he promises to protect them from the beast and to give them food (123). Jack once again appeals to the boys' sense of fear by promising protection through death of the beastie and pig.