Although Ralph is not a natural born leader like Jack is and is not as naturally intelligent as Piggy is, he nevertheless shows significant initiative in the first half of the book. In the first chapter, he is the first to suggest the boys "have a chief to decide things." After being elected chief, he organizes an expedition to explore their location and determine whether it is an island. He sets the rules for using the conch to maintain order in the meetings, and he suggests having a signal fire. He takes the initiative to build shelters for all the boys, even though by the time the third one is built, only he and Simon are committed to it.
During the meeting at dusk after the signal fire has gone out, Ralph takes the initiative to address the fear that is troubling the boys, but that ends up backfiring on him. Also in that meeting, he takes the initiative to address the use of fire to assure everyone that there will be no more runaway fires like the one they had on the first day. When a group of boys goes to look for the "beast from air," Ralph takes the initiative to go by himself to the area where they believe the beast may be.
However, beginning in chapter 8, Ralph loses hope, saying, "So we can't have a signal fire...We're beaten." Especially after Jack's rebellion and Simon's death, Ralph becomes significantly weakened and depends more and more on Piggy to help him remain focused. His fear and discouragement keep him from continuing to take initiative.
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