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- Determined - "I'm chief. I'll go. Don't argue."
- Brave - 'Ralph picked up his stick and prepared for battle.'
- Fair - "The choir belongs to you, of course."
- Honest - "We'd talk but we wouldn't fight a tiger. We'd hide."
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- Civilisation and Barbarity - Ralph represents law and order. He takes charge of the boys and gives them jobs to make the island a better place to live. He says they'll use the conch to take it in turns to speak.
- Civilisation and Barbarity - Ralph clings to the hope of rescue and returning to civilisation.
- Civilisation and Barbarity - Golding uses the conflict between Ralph and Jack to represent the conflict between civilisation and barbarity on the island.
- Evil - By involving Ralph, the hero, in acts of evil, Golding shows that there is evil in everyone.
- Evil - Ralph realises that evil exists inside of everyone. He recognises it in himself but he fights it - this represents man's struggle against evil.
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- He's brave, even though he doesn't always feel it - e.g. he makes himself go first to Castle Rock.
- Ralph is built a bit like a 'boxer'. This makers him seem powerful. There's a 'mildness about his mouth' that suggest he's kind and good-natured.
- He has a strong sense of fair play. He's shocked when Jack punches Piggy and snatches his glasses.
- He has a strong sense of responsibility - e.g. he makes sure Piggy will look after the littluns when he goes looking for the beast.
- He gets involved in laughing at Piggy or Simon in a way that shows he's capable of hurting others.
- He sometimes gives in to his instincts - he gnaws at his meat 'like a wolf' and he gets excited when he wounds a pig.
- He takes part in the dance when Simon is killed. Later he's ashamed of it, but he lets Piggy persuade him that it wasn't their fault. This is a sign that even Ralph is slipping into savagery.
- He tries to plan an important speech but he finds himself lost in a 'maze of thoughts' that he can't quite put into words. He realises that he can't think as well as Piggy can.
- He wants things to be straightforward. He says they should talk about the beast and 'decide there's nothing in it'. He's annoyed that he can't make the other boys see his point of view. This is a reminder that all the characters in Lord of the Flies are children. They can't solve their problems using reason and logic. This foreshadows later events and builds an atmosphere of fear.
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- At first, Ralph gets irritated by Piggy's questions and is scornful of his clumsiness and asthma. He thinks that Piggy's 'matter-of-fact ideas were dull', but he enjoys teasing Piggy.
- By the time he holds an assembly about the beast, Ralph he realised that Piggy is a good thinker. He relies more and more on Piggy's sense and intelligence.
- When he is being hunted, he realises how much he needs Piggy to 'talk sense'.
- Ralph's relationship with Piggy shows that he's willing to change his opinions. Golding uses this to show how Ralph develops as a character.
- At first, it looks like Ralph and Jack could be friends. They smile at each other with 'shy liking'.
- They fall out when Jack and his hunters were too busy hunting and having fun to build the shelters and keep the fire going. This is the first sign that they can't resolve the conflict between fun and responsibility.
- After a disagreement, Ralph asks Jack why he hates him. Ralph realises that Jack needs to lead.
- Ralph sees that there is an 'indefinable connection' between him and Jack which means Jack can't leave him along. Jack's got something to prove.
- Ralph and Jack's rocky relationship creates a feeling of tension for the reader - only one of them can win.
- Ralph's emotions show the story changing from one of exciting adventure, into one of terrifying violence.
- At first, Ralph is delighted with the island. He's excited that there are no grown-ups and expects to have fun. He's also confident that adults will rescue them - he trusts the civilised world.
- Later on, he feels the 'wearisomeness' of life on the island. It's not the adventure he expected. He begins to feel insecure. His old 'understandable and lawful world' begins to slip away.
- His deepest despair comes right at the end of the book. The boys are rescued - but Ralph realises that his innocent view of a fair and decent world is lost forever.
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