Lord of the Flies Summary

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The Lord of the Flies Précis

After a plane crash, two boys, Piggy and Ralph, find each other on a deserted island.  Piggy discovers a conch shell on the beach, and tells Ralph he could use it to call other survivors.  Soon, young boys begin appearing out of the woods, including a choir led by a boy named Jack.  The group of survivors elects Ralph as there leader, and Ralph allows Jack to become the head of a hunting party.  The boys explore the island, finding no signs of civilization.  On their way back to the beach, they come across a pig, but Jack is unable to bring himself to kill it.

        Ralph uses the conch shell to call the boys to another meeting, where they decide that each boy may only speak while holding the conch.  They decide that a fire signal must always be maintained at the top of the mountain to increase their chances of being rescued.  Piggy agrees to allow them to use his glasses to start the fire.  However, after neglecting to monitor their first fire, part of the island is sent up in flames. and one of the younger boys goes missing.

        Ralph and another boy, Simon, construct huts for the survivors to live in, and Ralph is irritated when all of the other boys spend their time playing rather than helping.  After attempting to express this problem to Jack, Ralph finds that although Jack’s hunting party is not making any progress, hunting is all Jack cares about.

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        Ralph is furious when he finds that a ship is passing, and the fire at the top of the mountain is out.  The hunter’s were so excited over their first pig kill that they forgot about the fire.  Piggy insults Jack, who hits Piggy, causing him to break one of the lenses of his glasses.  

        Ralph calls for a meeting, where he finds that the ‘littluns” are having increased fears about a “beast” on the island.  The older boys, too, are beginning to have this fear, and the boys begin brainstorming about where the beast may live.

        The night ...

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