Chapter
Events
Themes
The boys’ reactions
I.
Plane crash on a tropi-
cal island; Ralph and
Piggy find a conch,
blow it and call other
boys;
boys vote Ralph for
their chief; Jack doesn’t
dare to kill a pig
•
Beauty of the island
•
Glamour like a paradise
•
Leadership
•
Friendship
•
Survival
•
What it means to kill
They enjoy freedom,
especially Ralph;
games, adventure,
fun, friendship
II.
Boys build fire on the
mountain’s top to get
rescued; little ones are
afraid of an imaginary
beast; due to their care-
lessness they burn
down a big part of the
island; a small boy is
missed
•
Rules
•
First signs of brutality
(grabbing Piggy’s glasses)
Small boys are afraid
of the beast and older
ones not really
III.
Jack tries to kill a pig
but fails; Ralph &
Simon build shelters for
protection against rain;
first quarrel between
Ralph & Jack;
Simon discovers a se-
cret place in a clearing
in the jungle where he
can hide;
•
Fire is a symbol for civiliza-
tion and protection but also
for danger
•
Jack enjoys hunting
•
Nobody supports Ralph in
building the huts
→
People
are selfish
•
Jack’s indifferent to other
boys’ ideas
Boys think that
Simon is batty; he’s
a dreamer and a bit
strange to them; Jack
is angry because he
failed; Ralph is frus-
trated; Fear also
comes up to the older
ones; selfishness
IV.
Little ones are quite
happy and don’t miss
their parents; they are
still aware of the rules
of civilization (Roger
teases a little boy); Jack
paints his face
→
cam-
ouflage; ship passes but
the fire is out because
some boys don’t obey
the rules; Jack kills a
pig
→
enjoys killing;
first real conflict; Jack
knocks Piggy down and
breaks one glass of his
specs; Jack doesn’t ac-
cept criticism; they
roast the pig and react
the killing scene
•
Leadership
→
2 different
types of leaders (Jack &
Ralph)
•
Change from civilized
schoolboys to painted &
long-haired savages
•
They feel hidden behind
their masks
•
Gap between hard work and
fun
•
Violence and cruelty are
increasing
Jack can’t stand
criticism; Ralph
changes the sides
(feels sorry for
piggy)
V.
Ralph wants the boys to
talk about their fears
because the little ones
are afraid of a beast;
Jack attacks Ralph rules
and the assembly
breaks up; rules weren’t
obeyed;
•
Teamwork
→
they ought to
share the work
•
Ralph has got the makings
of a good leader (
→
repeat
things, short and simple,
knows what is important)
•
The original sin
•
The power of fear (difficulty
of fighting against irrational
fear
•
Breaking up the rules
→
split up
→
chaos
Ralph begins to be-
have like an adult; he
feels the burden of
responsibility;
Jack is aggressive;
Ralph almost wants
to renounce to his
leadership
VI.
Dead man with a para-
chute lands on the is-
land; Sam and Eric
think it’s the beast; Jack
wants to hunt it; they
search for the beast
→
tension between Ralph
and Jack;
They find “castle rock”
•
Increasing fear
•
Hunger for hunting
•
Tension and conflict
•
Leadership gets more diffi-
cult to Ralph
Boys are annoyed of
Ralph
→
they think
Ralph behaves too
much like a grown-
up; Ralph feels tired
of responsibility
VII.
Ralph is day-dreaming
and he hits a bore
→
proud;
They play a mock-hunt
→
during that they hurt
Roger; they climb up
the mountain to the
beast & see a bulging
ape
→
flee in terror
•
Irony: the beast (parachutist)
they fear is harmless
•
Hatred and competition
•
Antagonism between Ralph
and Jack
•
Fear, bloodlust & violence
Jack tries to domi-
nate and he gets
more and more ag-
gressive; Ralph
misses his home;
He realises that they
gradually turn into
savages
VIII.
This time Jack is call-
ing a meeting
→
he
wants to replace Ralph;
Jack behaves like a
bully because he has
split up their small
community; Jack and
his hunters put a sow-
head on a stick as a
sacrifice to appease the
beast;
Jack invites to a feast;
Simon has a fit of epi-
leptic
•
Difference between “leader”
and “chief”
•
Lord of the Flies = devil =
Satan
•
Evil is inside of all of us
Jack is hurt first be-
cause Ralph is voted
as chief again; with
the painted faces the
hunters feel like hid-
den; Simon under-
stands that there’s
evil inside of human
beings
IX.
Simon discovers the
parachutist; Jack has a
feast again
→
mock
hunt; in the frenzy
Simon is mistaken for
the beast
→
they kill
him; Simon’s body is
washed out
•
Power and authority
•
Violence
•
Murder and cruelty
•
Rituals
Jack is like a dictator
and is demagogic;
the hunter’s chant
and dance turn to a
ritual dance; Simon
discovers the truth,
but doesn’t succeed
in informing the oth-
ers; Jack is the leader
now and treats the
others as his sub-
jects;
X.
Ralph cannot admit that
they joined the ritual;
Jack controls his group;
hunters steal Piggy’s
specs
→
fire; Jack and
his hunters have an own
territory on the island,
castle rock
•
Brutality
•
The savages take what they
need without taking care of
others
•
No rules, 2 groups caused by
Jack’s incompetence
Ralph and Piggy
refuse to admit their
guilt; they have a bad
conscience; Ralph is
longing for security;
Jack establishes his
authority
XI.
Ralph and the others
realise that Piggy’s
specs have been stolen
→
they want to get it
back and go to castle
rock; the savages refuse
to give the specs back;
during the fight be-
tween Ralph and Jack,
Roger kills Piggy by
purpose and also splits
the conch; Samneric are
kidnapped
•
No fairness between the
groups
•
Ralph’s group understands
the liberation into savagery
that the concealing paint
brought
•
No stop at killing human-
beings (Roger kills Piggy)
→
whereas Simon’s death
was more or less by acci-
dent, Piggy’s death was
murder
•
Symbol of authority and
rules, the conch, is broken
Ralph is alone after
all; Piggy needs the
conch to be re-
spected; Roger is the
cruellest of all the
boys; Jack feels in-
different about Piggy
XII.
Ralph tries to contact
Samneric, who have
already joined Jack’s
tribe;
The savages plan to
chase and kill Ralph
→
Ralph flees into the
jungle; Jack burns the
jungle to catch Ralph
→
Ralph gets to the
beach;
Naval officer finds the
island due to the big
jungle fire
→
get res-
cued
•
No signs of civilization
anymore
→
no mercy
•
Torture made Samneric to
speak and betray Ralph
•
Irony of the officer: he asks
if they were playing war
Samneric have to
obey Jack and join
his tribe; Ralph is
alone and Jack and
his tribe want to kill
him;
When the naval offi-
cer asks for the chief
of the boys and
Ralph answers, Jack
is astonished
Ralph:
Ralph is described as a 12-year-old, handsome boy, very likeable. Already from the beginning
he shows makings of a leader. Therefore he gets voted for the leader, although he didn’t seek
for a leadership. He accepts the task that he was chosen and wants to live up with it. He is
smart, thinks optimistic, and knows what’s important for the others. Ralph sticks to his ideas
and because of his fairness he is willing to share his leadership with Jack.
He behaves sensibly and courageously and not a coward. As a chief he tries to cheer the oth-
ers up.
Another making of his leadership is that he has a lot of common sense, rationality and respon-
sibility. He knows that without rules they won’t survive. Ralph soon realizes that fears are
difficult to handle. The boy has some natural authority, charisma and has a strong moral sense
for what is wrong. Simon’s murder causes a bad conscience in him and he also admits it.
As a good leader he cares for the welfare of the others and worries about them.
Jack:
Jack has also the makings of a leader but just the opposite of Ralph. Instead of being under-
standing he dominates his subjects and rules like a dictator or even a tyrant (
→
anarchy =
chaos, no rules, the strongest one dominates). He is egotistic and wants to control others, and
he doesn’t care for the welfare of the other boys.
Jack enjoys the admiration, for this reason he more or less likes the situation on the island and
so he doesn’t really want to be rescued because in the world of the grown-ups he would be a
normal 12-year-old boy again.
He releases ruthlessness by his instincts, the power he gets corrupts him. Jack envies Ralph’s
chief position from the very beginning; however, at the end he is neither a boy, nor a leader,
but a tyrant, a savage chief respectively. William Golding shows Jack’s evil inside at the be-
ginning when he and his choir appears like a dark creature or a snake.
Simon:
Simon is really shy and sensitive, just due to the reason that he has a personality, which can-
not express his ideas. The others don’t take him seriously and treat him like a crazy outsider.
Although he is friendly and helpful nobody really accepts him because he is so batty and
imaginative, that you can say he lives in his own world.
In contrast to Piggy who is the rational type, who acts and thinks with his brain, Simon has
insight by his intuition, which can make him courageous.
Simon is able to resist the devil’s temptations, although he lacks of self-confidence, so he be-
comes a martyr who dies for the truth.
Roger:
At the beginning he is an introverted boy and not much different from the others. However,
soon it gets obvious that evil is inside of him. First he teases one of the little ones by throwing
stones at him, but he’s still aware of the rules and the limits of civilization. Finally he turns to
the cruellest “savage” and is even able to kill Piggy by purpose. He commits that murder
without Jack’s order, but with his silent agreement.
He enjoys hurting others and doesn’t feel guilty about it. Due to his lack of moral scruples, he
becomes a merciless torturer and Jack’s “hangman”.
Piggy:
Piggy differs from the others, which is apparent from the beginning on. He is a boy from
working class, already causing a social difference between him and the boys. Additionally he
is handicapped by his illness. Nevertheless he is the most intelligent of the boys and because
of his common sense and his perceptive and practical thinking he often knows what to do.
Although he seems more grown-up (mature) and quite wise the others doesn’t respect him.
Piggy cannot talk to the boys and sometimes Jack teases him that much that he is unable to
control himself. He has a scientific view of life and trusts in rules and order, in Ralph.
Piggy bears the danger from Jack in his mind, but he underestimates it. First he doesn’t be-
lieve in fears and beasts but later on fear also grips him.
He knows exactly that Simon’s death was a murder but he tries to suppress it. As already
mentioned, Piggy lacks of intuition in contrast to Simon.
Symbols:
Fire:
Fire is an ambivalent symbol because on the one hand it stands for danger but on the
other hand it signifies protection, secure and food.
Irony: Jacks jungle fire attracted the officer’s attention
Conch:
The conch is a symbol for belonging together and democratic order and society. It
stands for fairness and stability and actually the conch makes it possible to create a commu-
nity in the beginning.
Furthermore it signifies authority and civilization, and William Golding shows that rules, sta-
bility and fairness can be easily broken.
Painted faces:
When the boys are painted they are deliberated from civilization, they become more and more
savages. They don’t have to obey rules and orders anymore and can do what they want.
Dance and Chant:
The singing is important because it’s a sign for belonging together and they can forget their
fears. However, when they are all united in this crowd nobody of them think for themselves
anymore, which makes it easier for the leader to control them.
Parachutist/The beast:
He is symbolic for the world of the grown-ups and that there is no difference from the boys’
situation. “The adults world” is even crueller.
The beast is actually the opposite of the conch and shows the dark side in man.
Specs:
The specs are a symbol for intelligence because without intelligence (specs) they wouldn’t be
able to light a fire. For Jack Piggy’s glasses strengthen his power because from the moment he
has stolen them he confirms his leadership.
Message:
The devil is inside of all human beings. Man makes progress in all sciences but no progress in
mind. They have never learned to live together peacefully. Evil can destroy every community,
no matter how unified they are.