Discuss

THete are internal and external conflicts for every character in the book. I will uses Ralph as an example. Ralph is a character that must mature quickly. He goes from a boy happy to be rid of adults to a brooding person experiencing way too much for his age. His conflicts are both internal and external. Externally, Ralph must contend with a group of boys who do not take anything, except hunting, seriously, "and they keep running off....They're off bathing, or eating, or playing." There is also Ralph’s very antagonistic relationship with Jack. Ralph's authority is constantly undermined and challenged by Jack. I have always maintained that, in the end, external conflicts are also internal conflicts as well; the two are not mutually exclusive. Unlike Jack, Ralph can not manipulate the boys to do his bidding. Ralph is left frustrated with the kids and himself, “Ralph dismissed Simon and went back to his personal hell.” While Ralph matures and progresses as a human being, most of the other boys digress. This will become too much for Ralph, still a boy, to handle.