During their first official assembly, Ralph takes the lead and begins to explain the island to the boys. He grabs the conch and sets forth several rules on the island. Initially, the boys seem to respect and obey Ralph whenever he speaks. After Ralph explains that his father was in the Navy, Golding writes, "The assembly was lifted toward safety by his words. They liked and now respected him" (Golding 51). Then, Ralph suggests that the boys make a signal fire and Jack quickly yells, "Come on! Follow me!" (Golding 52). All of the boys immediatly ignore Ralph, who is holding the conch, and run after Jack. Ralph even drops the conch and follows Jack. After a failed attempt to make a fire, Jack begins to make fun of Piggy and comments that the conch doesn't count on the top of the mountain. When Ralph takes the conch and makes the rule that the conch has power on the mountain as well, Jack quickly agrees with Ralph and tells him that the hunters will take care of maintaining the fire. The boys even applaud Jack for his generous offer. Whenever Piggy begins to speak, Jack continues to insult him without any repercussions. Although Ralph is still the leader, the tribe seems to have an affinity for Jack and respect him more than Ralph. The fact that they follow Jack when Ralph is still holding the conch and applaud Jack for offering to maintain the fire are sigificant pieces of evidence which suggest that the tribe respects Jack more than Ralph.
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