It is ironic that, in the final chapter of William
Golding's Lord of the Flies, both Ralph and the naval officer are
wearing uniforms. Though they have this one thing in common, these two characters are
nothing alike.
The naval commander arrives, and he is
wearing his dress uniform. Ralph looks up and sees "a white-topped cap, and above the
green shade of the peak was a crown, an anchor, gold foliage. He saw white
drill, epaulettes, a revolver, a row of gilt buttons down the front of a uniform." The
officer stands tall and straight, and he is an impressive sight, even for someone other
than a group of filthy savages.
Ralph, on the other hand,
is a mess. His clothes are dirty and crusty from the salt, sand, and sun of the island.
Though he is still wearing a uniform, it is probably not seen as one by the naval
officer. He looks down at Ralph and sees a "little scarecrow in front of him. The kid
needed a bath, a haircut, a nose-wipe and a good deal of ointment." Ralph is a broken
boy about to burst into tears.
When we see the naval
officer through Ralph's eyes, we see a man who is professional and in charge; when we
see Ralph through the naval officer's eyes, we are reminded that Ralph (along with all
the others) is just a boy who tried to be a leader and failed.
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