In William Golding's dystopian novel Lord of the Flies, Ralph is elected chief at the start of the story.
After a group of schoolboys becomes stranded on an uninhabited island, Ralph uses a conch shell to gather them and organize a meeting. The boys choose him as leader, partly because he appears confident and possesses the shell, which becomes a symbol of orderly speech and democratic authority.
Ralph tries to maintain rescue fires, shelters, and rules. His leadership is challenged by Jack Merridew, who becomes increasingly focused on hunting and power. The conflict between them drives the novel's examination of civilization, fear, violence, and social collapse.
Ralph is not the same character as Piggy, whose ideas and spectacles are important to the group, or Simon, who offers a more spiritual perspective. Golding's novel was first published in 1954 and remains a frequently studied work of dystopian fiction.