When two people are in different positions of power and both want control, especially ones with as strong characters as Ralph and Jack's, the rifts between them that are portrayed throughout the whole novel build up to the final confrontation. There are several key scenes in which the relationship between Ralph and Jack cracks and diminishes considerably, supporting the fact that it is inevitable that Ralph and Jack's relationship will end in brutal conflict.

Even in the beginning Ralph and Jack's relationship contains a hint of the competition that is to come. At the first meeting of the boys, Ralph and Jack become acquainted. Straight away it is evident that Jack is a leader and at least a little self-centered when he announces that he is the leader of the choir. Jack in this scene attempts to prove that he is a force to be reckoned with, and...