Chapter 1: The Sound of the Shell
and meet up with each other after escaping from their shot-down plane. A large scar was made in the untouched jungle, symbolizing the first of man's destruction on the island. A war is going on in the outside world, and now for the rest of the book, everyone will be isolated from it and put into their own "world."
Piggy spots a conch shell, and tells Ralph how to use it to make a noise. Ralph does so, and calls all of the other boys on the island who crashed down with the plane. and his Choir, , , and many other characters join in an assembly (including the littl'uns, which are the youngest kids at about 6 or 7 years old). Rules are set down, and Ralph is to be chief. There is no one else on the island but the young boys, so Jack decides to take his choir out to hunt for wild pigs, although he is unsuccessful in killing a small pig with his knife.
Significance: While Jack's first attempt to kill the pig failed, his quote "next time..." foreshadowed his future of savage hunting.
Chapter 2: Fire on the Mountain
Ralph calls another assembly, and reminds everyone that they are completely alone on the island, and there are no adults. Jack recounts his failure in killing the pig, and reiterates the need for skilled hunters. Several rules are made up, such as "whoever holds the conch gets to speak." Unexpectedly, an unnamed littl'un with a birthmark on his face tells about a "beastie" that he saw somewhere on the island. The general consensus from the others is that there is no such thing, and it must be his imagination.
Ralph then suggests making a signal fire, which would be necessary if they hope to get rescued. The boys scramble off to gather wood to build a fire. Unsure of how to light it, they finally grab Piggy's specs and focus the sunlight to ignite their fire. They were not careful, however, and soon the fire is engulfing half the forest near the mountain. The little boy with the birthmark is noticed to be missing, swallowed up by the raging fire.
Significance: Piggy is averse to most of the other boys, who he thinks are acting like little children (they are children, obviously, but Piggy acts like the adult figure). He cites their irresponsibility in dealing with the fire. Jack also shows signs of belligerence when he argues with Ralph about the signal fire, and claims that "The conch doesn't count on the mountain!"
Chapter 3: Huts on the Beach
Jack is busy tracking a pig at the start of this chapter, when he arrives at the beach where Simon and Ralph are constructing huts. Ralph complains no other boys are helping them with their shelters, but Jack tries to argue that hunting is more important; this expands into yet another argument between Ralph and Jack. When Jack again brings up hunting, Ralph presses that keeping the signal fire is much more important than hunting. Jack disagrees, and they boys continue on their path of mutual dislike.
Ignorant to the fussing of the other boys, Simon picks fruit for the littl'uns and makes his way into the jungle finding a clearing. He climbs onto a mat of creepers, and remains there; he enjoys the tranquility of this spot, where he can be in touch with nature.
Significance: Jack is solely concerned with hunting, and cannot see the necessity of other things that can keep them alive. Ralph and Jack are really beginning to fight in this chapter, and it foreshadows much more future conflicts down the line. Simon's actions present him as a very good, peaceful and helpful character, in contrast with many others.
Chapter 4: Painted Faces and Long Hair
is knocking down sand structures made by littl'uns, and throwing rocks at a young boy, although intentionally missing. Jack calls Roger away, asking him to watch him paint his face for hunting pigs.
Ralph and the other boys are swimming in the bathing pool later on, when smoke from a ship is spotted in the distance. The signal fire was out , not being watched, obliterating their chances of rescue. Oblivious, Jack and his hunters come proudly marching carrying their first kill, trying to convey their excitement to Ralph. When Ralph yells that a ship passed them by and no fire was going, excuses are made and Jack tries to say that hunting is of utmost importance. In the ensuing fight, Jack punches Piggy, breaking and knocking off his specs.
Finally, the fire is lit again, the pig is roasted, and everyone eats. The hunters reenact the hunt, with a wild tribal dance and one boy being the pig; this is the first time of many that the dance is performed.
Significance: Roger's first showing of aggression foreshadows his becoming a very evil and sadistic figure, Jack's invitation to watch him paint his face is the start of their "evil friendship." Jack's mask of face paint represents a cover that he can hide behind, which liberates and frees him, allowing him to do anything when wearing it, without worrying about any important matters. Jack still does not understand Ralph's concern with the fire, and doesn't seem to care much for getting rescued. The primal dance performed by the hunters highlights their transition into savagery.
One of several significant incidents in this story is when the hunting group killed the first pig. This is a significant scene because it is where the hunters of the group release the savagery that has been covered up by the fact that they were civilized. It also is a significant event because it is the first time that the group of boys ignores the priorities set by their leader, Ralph. Ralph felt that keeping a signal fire to alert passing ships of their presence was more important than finding another source of food. Having his orders disobeyed meant that he was losing power. This scene is also significant because it is the turning point when authority shifts from the hands of Ralph to those of Jack. Jack uses the power to cause chaos in the eyes of Ralph and Piggy. The most significant event in the book was when Simon saw the dead pigs head on a stick. The head was an offering by the tribe to the ‘beast.’ When Simon stumbles upon it, it ‘talks’ to him and says that there is nothing to fear because the beast is inside all of us. (A bit of symbolism here.) This may not be the climax as far as plot sequence goes, but in terms of philosophical understanding, it certainly is. Another significant event was the death of Simon. Simon was killed when he came struggling out of the jungle trying to tell his fellows that the ‘beast’ they had feared was nothing to fear at all. The group though was in the middle of a "killing chant" and they had mistakenly identified Simon as the beast and beat him until he died. Again, this shows the savagery coming out of these boys. Piggy’s death was equally significant because it serves as an example of how little power Ralph exerted over everyone near the end of the story. Piggy was one of Ralph’s best friends and stayed by his side ever since the group had crashed on the island. With Piggy gone, Ralph was on his own in trying to survive.
The main conflict in the story is between orderliness, exhibited by Ralph, and wildness which is exhibited by Jack. Ralph never loses all of his civilized manner. This is a disadvantage to him because the rest of the boys feel like their predicament has enabled them to be wild because they are away from their parents and teachers. They do not want to be civilized and so look away from Ralph. Jack on the other hand, has a wild demeanor about him and so the group is more attracted to him. This is just what they do too when Ralph has too many rules and orders for the group to respect. The climax of the story is the scene with Simon and the pigs’ head. After this, him and Piggy are killed and Ralph’s friends turn against him. The novel ends almost abruptly when a British cruiser spots a forest fire on the island and stops by to investigate. The boys are then taken off of the island. The plot is predictable in the sense of what will happen. You can anticipate that someone will be killed and enemies are going to clash. What is unpredictable is when all of these events will happen.
There are five main characters and the first one is Ralph. One significant trait about him is that he is rational. This quote can testify to this: "I agree with Ralph. We’ve got to have rules and obey them. After all, we’re not savages. We’re English, and the English are the best at everything. So we’ve got to do the right things" (42). Another character is Jack, who is Ralph’s antagonist. His trait, authoritarianism, is evident in this quote on page 198, "See? They do what I say." The book describes these two leaders in this way, "two continents of experience and feeling, unable to communicate" (60). Simon is perceptive but inarticulate. There is not a line or passage that can be quoted because he does not say much. His trait can be seen when he has observed the beasts - the pigs head and a dead parachutist - and runs to tell the others but is killed because they can not hear what he is saying due to their involvement with killing. This is another example of the savagery shown by the group. Piggy models his behavior on what he thinks grownups would do. He is very mature and scientifically minded but these qualities do not give him an advantage on the island. The narration calls Piggy "a parent whose task is to watch over too many kids." The last main character is Roger. Roger’s trait is a lust of power over living things. He is the one who murdered Piggy by shoving a large boulder off a cliff so it crushed Piggy. Roger was also one of the first ones to stab a pig when he went on a hunt with Jack. Ralph changes as the story progresses by losing hope at being rescued. He feels this way because he loses more and more control over the situation as time goes on. He knows that it is a matter of time before his foe, Jack, comes to kill him and this makes him depressed. Piggy is the only other character that changes in this book. Piggy’s relationship with Ralph grows closer to where Ralph will ask Piggy’s opinion on something or look to Piggy for optimism.
All of the characters are pretty imaginable outside of the story except for Simon. There are not many who can experience the deep thinking process that he did when he saw the pigs head. For a person, such as Simon, to realize that there is a savage beast in all of us, they must be blessed with thinking styles that are rarely seen today. Ralph is the kind of person who accepts responsibility that he is not particularly fitted for because he sees that the alternative to responsibility is savagery and moral chaos. He represents the world of longing and baffled common-sense whereas Jack represents the world of hunting, tactics, fierce exhilaration, and skill. Jack is the type of person who uses other people’s desires to benefit himself. For example, some of the boys wanted meat after they heard there were pigs on the island. Jack figured that if he got this meat, the group would see him as a caregiver - a title that brings with it power. He figures that as long as he provides, they will respect him and give him a position of authority.
The theme of the Lord of the Flies is to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature. There are negative scenes in the book that are also seen in society. For example, there is a struggle for power of the group between Ralph and Jack. Like political parties, Ralph’s beliefs and Jack’s beliefs govern who the group will chose to lead them. Killing is done out of two acts in the story. One, as means for food, and two, as a result of the heinousness that has emerged from them. It is not used as a means of survival like we think of it. The reader can envision this wildness in the groups hunting chant, "Kill the beast, cut his throat, spill his blood" (152). In society, killing is also not used for the means of survival but rather to show dominance. Outrage or craziness causes people to kill others so they feel that an answer to their problem has been reached. Also in society, rules are made but people tend not to follow them. This is because human nature says that individuals are independent and no bounds should be put on what they can do. Ralph makes rules about where and how much the other boys can eat, where they can bathe, and gives duties for them to accomplish. Because they are free from their parents, they feel they can do whatever they want and so do not adhere to Ralph’s rules.
The story takes place during a world war. Because Britain is at war, the reader might assume that it is World War II. The group is flying over the Pacific or Indian Ocean and is shot down. Their plane crashes on a deserted island. Because the location is absent of specific coordinates, it goes along with the feeling that the boys are independent and have limitless bounds. There is also no sense of time except for the slight suggestions of day or night. The reader does not find out how long the boys were on the island. The island has a beach, a lagoon, a jungle, and precipitous rock, all of which carry some symbolism. One of the important settings is the mountain where the first fire is lit and where the dead parachutist lands later on in the story. This fire symbolizes the hope Ralph has in being rescued. When everyone fails to keep it alive, Ralph loses his drive to lead and the atmosphere of the group changes. Another important setting is the clearing where the pigs head is. Though the clearing does not add to the ambiance and mysticism the head carries, it is where the most important scene takes place. The last important setting is the rocks where Piggy is killed. Piggy was Ralph’s best friend, so this adds to the vision of how much Ralph has been emotionally degraded while on the island.
The overall mood of the book is of amazement and horror. It reveals true human nature and how much it is covered up by manners, morals, and technology. The author uses standard lengths for sentences and a vocabulary that all people can understand. His use of diction is powerfully graphic to the reader. The following example of the diction is a description of Simon’s death: "As the crowd . . . leapt onto the beast , it screamed, struck, bit, tore. There were no words, and no movements but the tearing of teeth and claws" (153). The author also blends abstract ideas with those that are concrete. He does this, for example, when developing the symbol of the beast and moving it more and more into the center of the human creature. This development holds similar symbolic actions and scenes together, making them understandable.
This book made me realize that we are all beasts. The fact that we have authority over others and ourselves keeps us from unleashing our ultimate true character. The boys did not have any authority until Ralph and Jack took over. When they had a leader, they were a bit more under control. Another thing to mention is that before the crash, these boys were friends and treated each other with the respect and dignity that friends are supposed to give. So, there must be a power greater than anyone knows that can split a bond like this apart and turn individuals into ruthless, murdering savages. The most memorable line in the book is when the boys are picked up by the British cruiser (Captain speaking), "I should have thought that a pack of British boys - you’re all British, aren’t you? - would have been able to put up a better show than that" (201). This is a memorable line because Piggy said in the beginning of the book that the group was not savage because they were British and the British were the best of everything. When the Captain asks if the boys were British, it shows that Piggy was wrong. For the Captain to not recognize them as British means that they really changed while on the island. As the reader can see through the story, they did change. I would recommend this book to everyone because it reveals to us a side of true human nature that people want to hide. We forget sometimes that we are animals underneath the etiquette and properness that covers us. By reading this book, the reader will get a sense of who we could be, which is really who we are.