What Is Ralph's Childhood In Lord Of The Flies

One's childhood should be filled with happiness and ignorance. They should not learn the true struggle of life too soon. In William Golding’s novel “Lord Of The Flies” many of the children are forced to grow up before their time and lose the innocence that makes them young. Being on an island, lost and without guidance, changes how they interact with each other and brings out very primal instincts of humans. Throughout the book, Ralph undergoes many hardships that test him as an individual and teach him things unfit even for most adults.
In the beginning, the reader sees first signs of Ralph’s change when he decides they need rules and civilization. He embodies a leader and is very intelligent in aspects of what they need to do in order to be rescued. ““We’ll have rules!” he cried
He continues to edge closer to loss of his sanity and innocence as the book comes to a climax. “Now out of the terror rose another desire, thick, urgent, blind. “Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!””(152). Displayed in this passage is the utter ruthlessness of the boys and their thirst for blood. Ralph is a character of which the reader would not commonly expect to go to the dark side even if only momentarily. He has the same deep seeded need to kill as the boys on Jack’s side, Ralph is just not as in touch with it.
The end of the novel is where the reader can conclude that Ralph’s innocence is completely gone. He is forever changed from his time on the island; no longer the little boy he was before. “He gave himself up to them now for the first time on the island; great, shuddering spasms of grief that seemed to wrench his whole body.”(202). Ralph does not cry out of joy for being saved, but for the part of him he lost in the process and can never get back. He will only be able to see the hate within people from now on, all vision of goodness