Lord of the Flies Ralph: one of the older boys on the island; remains the leader through most of the novel Jack: Ralph’s most powerful antagonist(enemy) who develops from leader of the choir boys to chief of the savages. He is responsible for most of the horrible crimes. Piggy: The intellectual(smart one) of the group. He is physically weak and he complains a lot, but he sees the dangers when the others cannot.
Characters Continued Simon: the unique character. He remains uninvolved in the power struggle between Ralph and Jack. He does his work and takes care of the “littluns” Roger: 2nd in command to Jack. He is a true sadist (someone who loves to inflict pain). He mostly picks on the “littleunz.” Sam”n”eric = twins; As long as they follow Ralph instead of Jack, we have some hope that all is not lost.
Chapter One Two boys, Ralph and Piggy, meet each other in the jungle and make their way to the beach. While wandering near the water, the boys discover a large “conch” shell, Piggy tells Ralph that they can use it as a trumpet. Ralph blows on the shell and summons all the other boys. Piggy devotes himself to learning everyone’s name. The choir shows up, led by Jack Merridew. There are no adults present, so they elect a leader. Ralph is elected, and Jack is furious.
Chapter Two Ralph explains that the island is deserted, but all that is required is for them to remain clam until they are rescued. Jack brags that he will supply the boys with meat. Ralph states that order must be maintained. Basic rules must be established for the common good. Whoever holds the conch can speak. Everyone else must listen. Piggy lectures about too much playing. One of the youngest children tells about a beast that he saw the night before. Ralph discusses the need for building a signal fire. Piggy’s glasses are used to start the fire. The fire gets out of control and Piggy blames Ralph .
Chapter Three Jack returns to the beach where he finds Ralph and Simon building a hut. Ralph complains to Jack that most of the boys are unwilling to help. Ralph hints that Jack and the hunters should help build huts instead. Resentment swells up between them, but they are able to control themselves. The 2 boys go swimming together and try to stifle their dislike for each other. Simon wanders off into the jungle by himself. He sits and stares in wonder at the amazing variety of living things.
Chapter 4 The boys soon develop a routine. Each morning, they awake and swim. In the late afternoon, they work. The smallest boys lead a life quite different from the older boys. They spend most of the day eating fruit. As a result, they suffer from chronic diarrhea. Therefore, they cry a lot and play very seldom. Ralph and Piggy see a ship, and to their horror, they realize the fire is out. They realize Jack has wandered off and left it. Ralph is very angry at Jack, but Jack will not take responsibility. Piggy jumps in, and Jack slaps him and breaks one lens in Piggy’s glasses. Ralph’s dislike for Jack grows even stronger at this example of cruelty.
Chapter 5 Ralph lectures the boys sternly on their immature behavior. He also berates them for not helping build shelter, gathering drinking water, or keeping up the fire. Another matter to be discussed is the fear of the beast. The fear is spreading. The meeting grows disorderly and chaotic. The boys scream and laugh. Jack continues to bully Piggy. Ralph attempts to regain control of the group, but cannot. Jack refuses to follow any rules except the ones he makes. Most of the boys run off, led by Jack. Piggy advises Ralph to blow the conch and call the boys back. Ralph does not blow the conch.
Chapter 6 That night while the boys are asleep, there is a battle between aircraft above the island. A parachutist floats slowly down to the island but none of the boys see this, not even Sam and Eric who were on fire watch. When the fire watchers wake up, they are frightened by the noise made by the parachute of the Dead pilot flapping in the wind. Even Ralph is a little frightened. After a debate, a bunch of boys armed with spears search the island for the beast. Ralph becomes angry at the group and says they need to search the island and rebuild the signal fire.
Chapter 7 Jack suggest they hunt another pig. Everyone agrees but the pig manages to escape and gives Jack a wound with its tusks. Ralph has now participated for the first time in a hunt. He now understands everyone’s excitement about a hunt. Ralph and Roger wait halfway up the mountain while Jack climbs to the top alone. Soon, Jack runs down and says he has seen the beast. Ralph and Roger investigate and to their horror, they see something like a “great ape and they hear the weird flapping noise it makes. It’s really the dead parachutist hanging from the tree with the parachute flapping. The three scared boys run to warn the others.
Chapter 8 The next morning as news of the beast spreads, the boys’ terror grows greater. Even Ralph is frightened. At the meeting, Jack announces the beast is definitely there and Ralph is a coward and unfit to be chief. Jack says all Ralph does is talk and give orders. He demands that the boys vote Ralph out of office. None of the boys support this, and Jack goes into a rage. He says he is leaving the group. After Jack leaves, the boys are puzzled. However, Piggy is thrilled! Piggy suggests that a new fire be built on the beach. Before long a new fire has been built, but it’s discovered that most of the boys have slipped away. Jack and his new tribe hunt and take pleasure from their cruel and brutal slaughter of the pig. They mount the head on a pole and leave it as a gift for the beast.
Chapter 8 Continued Meanwhile, Simon has been sitting alone in the jungle staring at the fly covered head of the dead pig. Suddenly, it speaks to him. It says that it is impossible to escape the beast for he is part of everyone. The poor boy faints!
Chapter 9 Simon wakes up, but he has burst a blood vessel in his nose. Despite his weakness, he crawls up a hill and discovers the dead pilot. He staggers off to tell the other boys what he has found. Piggy and Ralph attend Jack’s feast because they are hungry and to see what is going on. The boys of the tribe are gathered around the fire and eating greasy roast pig and fresh fruit. As darkness falls, Jack orders the tribe to its dance. They pretend to kill a pig in the dance. The boys become wilder and wilder. Suddenly a black shape crawls from the jungle calling to them. The crazy boys do not recognize their friend Simon and they beat, stab, and tear him to pieces.
Chapter 10 The next morning, Ralph and Piggy are ashamed because they watched Simon being killed and they did nothing. They discover that everyone has joined Jack except the twins. Ralph is deeply troubled and Piggy thinks it’s an accident. Ralph will not accept that it was an accident because they didn’t stop the killing. At Castle Rock, where Jack has moved his tribe, he rules like a tyrant. Wilfred is punished brutally for some minor infraction of Jack’s rules. Piggy and Ralph remain in the old camp and go to bed. Without warning, a group of screaming boys attack their hut and steal Piggy’s glasses.
Chapter 11 Ralph, Piggy, and the twins sit and nurse their wounds. It is decided that they will all go to Castle Rock to talk to Jack. When they arrive at Castle Rock, the guards make fun of them and throw rocks. Ralph demands that Jack give back Piggy’s glasses and points out the cruelty of keeping them. Jack responds by having his hunters tie up Sam ‘n Eric. Ralph is so mad that he and Jack engage in a hand to hand fight. They hear the pathetic cries of Piggy as Roger pushes a boulder down the slope. Piggy hears it but he can’t see it, so he and the shell are crushed beneath the rock. Ralph is by himself since Piggy has been killed and the twins have been captured.
Chapter 12 When darkness falls, Ralph sneaks to the hunters’ camp and finds that Sam ‘n Eric are on guard duty. The twins are unwilling to join him, but they give him food. All night Ralph huddles in a thicket not far from Castle Rock afraid to sleep. In the morning, he hears voices and realizes the twins have told where he is. Jack sets the area on fire to smoke him out. Ralph is forced to leave his hiding place and manages to break through the lines of his enemies. Finally, Ralph is driven to the beach. There is no place to go, and he hears the hunters close behind. He collapses in exhaustion and when he looks up,
Chapter 12 continued He sees a naval officer standing before him. The officer is cheerful and explains that his ship was attracted by the smoke. The painted savages reach the beach. Upon seeing the officer they stop and stare silently. The officer questions Ralph and is shocked when he learns that several boys have been killed and all traces of civilization are gone. As Ralph realizes that he is now safe and thinks about all of the horrors, he bursts into tears.