From BookJive
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| Edition: | Faber and Faber (Paperback) |
| Author: | William Golding |
| Published: | July 2004 |
| Pages: | 272 |
| ISBN 10: | 571056865 |
| ISBN 13: | 9780571056866 |
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World nuclear war forces a group of boys to be relocated to an undisclosed location, but en route their plane crashes on an uninhabited island. Ralph and Piggy meet in a forest on the island after the plane crash. The plane crash created a large scar though the island's forest: a symbol of man's destruction
Chapter Summary
- Chapter 1 The Sound of the Shell
World nuclear war forces a group of boys to be relocated to an undisclosed location, but en route their plane crashes on an uninhabited island. Ralph and Piggy meet in a forest on the island after the plane crash. The plane crash created a large scar though the island's forest: a symbol of man's destruction.
Ralph and Piggy make their way to the beach and find a conch shell. Ralph blows the conch and the rest of the surviving boys follow the noise to the beach. Here we are introduced to some of the book's main characters--Jack and his choirboys Simon, Sam and Eric. The group establishes and sets rules and Ralph is elected chief over Jack. The boys are all between 6 and 12 years of age and there are no surviving adults.
Ralph leads an expedition--with Jack and Simon--to establish that the boys are indeed stranded on an island. Piggy is not invited. Piggy instead is given the task of taking the names of all the remaining boys. On their expedition they run across a piglet that is trapped in some foliage. Jack hesitates and missed his opportunity to kill the piglet with his knife. He vows to never let it happen again.
- Chapter 2 Fire on the Mountain
The group assembles again at Ralph's request. Ralph begins to recount their findings from the expedition he lead. Jack cuts Ralph off and tells of his hunting experience and the need for skilled hunters. A new rule ensues that only the boy holding the conch is permitted to speak -- excepting Ralph. One of the Littluns with the birthmark tells about a "beastie" they saw in the forest last night. Their warning is quickly dismissed as fantasy. Ralph starts to comfort the littluns by assuring them of their rescue, but at the first mention of a signal fire Jack leads the group charging up the mountain to an area of dead wood. They start a signal fire using Piggy's specs. The fire rapidly spreads uncontrolled through the forest. The little boy who told the group about the "beastie" is missing and presumed dead (due to the fire).
- Chapter 3 Huts on the Beach
Ralph and Simon are frustrated trying to set up shelters on the beach. The entire group promised to work and help build the shelters but only Simon and Ralph kept their promise. Meanwhile, Jack is returning from a morning of pig tracking. Jack and Ralph get into an argument over what is most important for the group to focus its efforts on--shelters and the signal fire or hunting.
Simon helps the littluns by collecting fruit for them to eat after which he retreats to his secret shelter in the forest.
- Chapter 4 Painted Faces and Long Hair
Roger throws rocks, wreck sand castles, and bullies the littluns before being recruited by Jack for the hunt in which they paint their faces with colored clay and charcoal.
Ralph spots smoke from a passing ship. Ralph and some of the boys were swimming while Jack, Sam and Eric (both of who were on fire duty) and others were on a hunt. Ralph, Simon, and Piggy run up the mountain to the fire, but find the fire is out and their hopes of being saved gone with it. Jack and the hunters return triumphant. Ralph and Jack argue again on the importance of keeping a signal fire going. In the course of the fight Jack punched piggy and knocked off, and broke his specs.
The fire is started again. They cook and eat the meat. During the meal some of the boys perform a dance portraying their hunting victory.
- Chapter 5 Beasts from Water
Ralph calls an immediate assembly on the beach to address issues of responsibility and rules--most importantly that the fire isn't being kept. The littluns bring up the issue of the beast again. Jack says that it can't exist on the island because he's been all over the island and hasn’t seen it. Piggy suggests its scientific impossibility. One littlun swears he saw something the night before moving through the forest. Simon admits that it was him returning form his secret spot. Other littluns says the monsters might be coming from the water. They group debates this possibility. Simon suggests to the group’s derision that there really is no beast but rather "it's only us". The beast is something in them or "human nature". Also, during the assembly Jack suggests that Ralph isn't a good leader because he can't hunt or sing. Jack leads a group of the boys away from the assembly singing and dancing. Generally the boys are starting to divide themselves into two groups--those with Ralph and those with Jack.
- Chapter 6 Beast From Air
That night while Sam and Eric are watching the signal fire they fall asleep. That night there are planes fighting in the air above the island. A dead pilot, who had ejected, lands on the island near Sam and Eric. His body and chute are moved by the wind. Sam and Eric mistake the silhouette for the island Beast. They run back to camp to tell the others.
Ralph calls an immediate counsel in which the group -- all but Piggy and the littluns -- leave to go hunt the beast. On their hunt the group came upon a part of the island they've never been to before. The new place is a hill full of caves. Everyone is scared so Ralph decides to explore alone and is later joined by Jack and then the rest of the group. The group loses their purpose and starts heaving big rocks into the sea. Ralph chastises the group for losing purpose and they reluctantly follow Ralph to continue their search.
- Chapter 7 Shadows and Tall Trees
Ralph looks around at the boys unkempt appearances and longs for home. Simon sees Ralph staring at the ocean and tells him not to worry and assures him they will soon be rescued.
The boys continue on their hunt for the beast when Jack uncovers boar droppings. The entire group begins to hunt the boar losing their purpose--even Ralph. Ralph manages to hit the boar with a spear but to no avail--the boar got away. The group starts to dance and they use a boy name Robert as a representation of the boar. The savagery almost overpowers Ralph who says, "the desire to squeeze and hurt was overmastering."
They group later comes to their senses and they continues with their original purpose to hunt the beast. Jack climbs the hill first and when he returns he reports having seen the beast. Next Ralph and Roger climb the hill and discover the same silhouette moving and making strange noises. Upon this discovery they quickly return to report having seen the beast.
- Chapter 8 Gift for the Darkness
In the morning everyone is anxious because of the news that they found the beast. Jack blows in the conch to call an assembly. Jack declares Ralph to be a coward and asks the group to impeach him as their chief. No one replies and Jack runs of into the forest crying. All of the boys later follow Jack into the forest leaving only Ralph, Piggy, Simon, Sam, and Eric on the beach. Ralph is upset but soon at the suggestion of Piggy decides they need to re-light the signal fire on the beach because the beast is blocking the original fire's location.
Meanwhile, Jack and his group find a sow and her piglets. The group violently killed the sow and placed the pig's head on a pole and place it in the middle of a meadow--the same meadow that servers as a place of contemplation and safety for Simon.
Simon later slips away from the beach group to his favorite spot in the forest. Simon is entranced by the pig head mounted on the pole. The head or "Lord of the Flies" is covered with black flies and seems to speak to Simon saying, "I'm part of you. You can't escape me." It continues to say that if Simon tries to talk to the others about the Beast, that he will be killed by everyone, including Ralph and Piggy. After taking this all in, Simon feels a faint coming on and collapses.
- Chapter 9 A View to a Death
When Simon finally wakes he happens upon the parachutist and sees that they beast that had the boys were in a frenzy over was just a dead pilot who's parachute had kept the body moving. Simon sees Jack's distant fire and makes his way toward the group. Meanwhile Ralph and Piggy have decided to go up to the fire to eat and to keep an eye on the others. As a storm is descending on the island Ralph asks Jack what they will do for shelter. Jack, sitting on his throne, painted like a savage, and being served by others ignores the question and commands his group to perform the hunting dance.
In the midst of the dance, which even Ralph and Piggy were caught up in, the group spots Simon coming through the trees. The boys presume it’s the beast and start attacking Simon. Simon can't stop them and is killed by the entire group (even Ralph and Piggy).
The storm comes and takes the body of Simon out to sea. The storm also throws the parachutist's body into the middle of the boys sending them running.
- Chapter 10 The Shell and the Glasses
Ralph, Piggy, Sam, Eric, and a few of the littluns are all that's left of Ralph's group. Piggy tries to convince himself and Ralph that Simmons death was an accident but Ralph knows better. Ralph needs constant reminding of the signal fire and seems distant.
Jack and his group relocate to Castle Rock and Jack has become the new group's leader. He now is always wearing face paint and he even has one boy name Wilfred beaten for no reason. Roger sets up a big rock that if released will smash any unwanted intruder. Some of Jack’s group raid and beat Ralph and his group, at the same time they take Piggy's glasses to use in starting a fire.
- Chapter 11 Castle Rock
Piggy can't see without his glasses and Ralph's tribe cannot light the signal fire. They hold a meeting with the few remaining members and decide to try to reason with Jack. They start a procession up to Castle Rock with Piggy in the back holding the conch. When they reach Castle Rock they are stopped by armed guards. Ralph demands that they give Piggy's spec back and Jack scoffs at his request. The two boys physically fight several times. Jack has Sam and Eric tied up. During the second fight between Ralph and Jack, Piggy speaks up to the group preaching the importance of rules and rescue. As Piggy is speaking Roger releases the huge rock which tumbles down the hill, narrowly missing Ralph who jumped out of the way, but crushing the conch and killing Piggy. Everyone is surprised, but Jack tells Ralph that he's next and Ralph escapes into the forest.
- Chapter 12 Cry of the Hunters
Ralph hides out in an area close to Castle Rock. Ralph sees Sam and Eric while they are taking watch and confides in them his hiding spot. Sam and Eric warn Ralph that the group will be hunting him the next day and that they have sharpened both ends of their spears--in reference to what they did with the Lord of the Flies. Sam and Eric later, out of fear, reveal Ralph's hiding spot to Jack. Jack's tribe tries to hit Ralph with huge rocks but miss. They then in desperation burn the area. The fire flushes Ralph out of his hiding place and into the meadow where Simon often went. The group finds Ralph again and Ralph attacks Jack pushing him over and running to the beach. Ralph runs into a Naval Officer. The officer spotted the large fire started to kill Ralph. The officer was surprised by the spears and paints. The boys tell the officer of the two boys that died. They are all loaded into the Naval cruiser.
