Lord of the Flies - chapters 1-4

How did the boys end up on the jungle island?

the plane that they were being transported to safety in was shot down.

How is Ralph described?

Ralph is described as the fair boy.

How did the boys end up on the jungle island?

the plane that they were being transported to safety in was shot down.

How is Ralph described?

Ralph is described as the fair boy.

Describe Piggy.

Piggy is described as short and fat.
Piggy has asthma.
Piggy wears glasses and can't see much at all without them.
Piggy is smart.

How does Ralph respond to Piggy's practical suggestion to have a meeting?

He ignores it and daydreams. But once they found the conch shell, Ralph became interested in blowing it. He did it with instruction from Piggy and boys started appearing from the forest.

How does Ralph think they will be rescued?

Ralph thinks that he will be rescued by his father who is in the Navy. He thought his dad would find out from the airport, but Piggy says it has been bombed. Ralph ignores evidence that his father might not be able to find them.

What had Piggy overheard the pilot saying?

Piggy overheard the pilot talking about an "atom bomb" and saying they were all dead (at the airport).

How do the younger boys act when they get there?

The younger boys acted obediently as they did with the men with the megaphones. They watched and waited...something was being done.

Describe the way Jack and his band of choir boys looked as they came toward the assembled group. List 3 attributes.

They looked like a mysterious creature while advancing towards the rest of the group. They were walking very orderly in two parallel lines and dressed in," strangely eccentric clothing" (19). The choirboys carried garments in their hands and each had a square black cap with a badge and a black cloak. Jack was dressed the same except the badge on his cap was golden.
They had the complexions of newly washed plums because of the black cloaks and the heat of the tropics.
Jack had red hair.

How does Jack react when Simon, one of the choir boys faints because of their clothes, the heat, and having to stand at attention?

He is not sympathetic at all. He is the leader of the choir and they are expected to obey him.

What conflict soon arises? How is it solved?

Jack says he will be chief, but Roger says they should vote. Many of the boys say Ralph should be chief (because of his 'still presence" and he called them with the conch shell).
Conflict solved: The boys vote and all but the choir vote for Ralph, so he is elected chief. (The choir voted for Jack with 'dreary obedience'.)
Jack is very unhappy about this though.

How does Jack treat the others?

Jack treats the others like he is superior and and should be obeyed. He arrogantly says he should be chief when Ralph says they need one.

What does Ralph do to make Jack feel better? What is compromised?

Ralph put him in charge of the choir and gave him the power to decide what the choirboys would do. Ralph compromises by giving away some of his power as the leader to Jack. It greatly eases the tension between them and they smile at each other with 'shy liking'.
(Ralph and Jack soon become friends.)

While on the expedition, there's a pig. Why wasn't Jack able to kill the pig?

He hesitated and the pig escaped. "...because of the enormity of the knife descending and cutting into living flesh; because of the unbearable blood".

Jack, Ralph, and Simon go on an expedition to find out what?

if they are on an island.

What rule is made about the conch?

Hands will be raised to speak and the conch would be given to someone and only they could speak; the only person who could interrupt was Ralph.

What does Piggy attempt to call the group's attention to?

nobody knows where they are because they never got to their final destination since the plane was shot down.

How did the 'beastie' come up?

One of the little boys with a mulberry birthmark on his face said he saw one at night and he wanted to know what they were going to do about it. He also said it was 'snakelike'.

How does Piggy treat the boy who asked about the Beastie? What does this tell us about Piggy?

Piggy treats a small boy kindly and respectfully by getting the group to listen to what he had to say. He sees each person as a human being and recognizes all should have a voice. He is kind and caring.

How does the talk of the beasties affect the boys?

The older boys believed there was no beastie, but the younger boys had doubt. Ralph felt annoyed and defeated and kept repeating that there wasn't a beastie.

At this time, Ralph says the boys appear to have two goals. What are they?

for the boys to have fun and get rescued

How does the group react to Ralph's suggestion that they build a fire? How does Piggy describe their actions?

-The jumped to their feet saying, "make a fire; make a fire!" and Jack told them to follow him and they headed off up the mountain. Everyone followed, even finally Ralph.
-Childish, acting like a crowd of kids..but he finally grabbed the conch and went too.

How do they manage to start the fire?

by using Piggy's specs as burning glasses to reflect the sunlight. (Jack grabbed them from Piggy without asking.)

What 2 responsibilities has Jack taken on for his choir?

1) to keep the fire going and
2)keep a look out for the rescue ship.

What goes wrong after the fire is started? Do you see any symbolism here? What is going on in the adult world at the time?

The wood was decayed and burned quickly and spread down the side of the mountain.
The fire symbolizes their attempts to connect with civilization and be rescued.
The "adult world" is currently going through WW2.

During the fire event who do they realize is missing?

Piggy realizes the little boy who warned about the beasties is now missing and he had been playing in the area that got burned up. (He has a mulberry birthmark on his face, so is distinctive and easily remembered by Piggy and the others.)

Chapter 3
What complaints does Ralph have? What has he noticed about the people?

Ralph complains to Jack that only Simon and himself are working on the huts and they need shelter. He complains that Jack just thinks about killing a pig, but he hasn't yet. Ralph complains that Jack LIKES his job of hunting...Ralph doesn't like his job.
Ralph notices that everyone comes to the meetings and is agreeable and solemn about what needs to be done, but when the meeting's over, they work for 5 minutes and then wander off.

What is Jack preoccupied with?

He's obsessed with finding a pig and killing it.

How are the littluns?

They are hopeless and not able to help much with the tasks that need to be completed. They bathe, eat, and play. They are frightened about the beastie and scream at night because of bad dreams. They don't feel safe, as if it's not a good island.

Explain the love-hate relationship between Jack and Ralph.

Both are leaders, so there are conflicts over being in the lead. Ralph wants to lead as an 'equal', but Jack wants power and control. This puts them at odds with each other. They have different main objectives: Ralph, a fire to get rescued; Jack, to kill a pig. There is a lot of hate when Jack removes hunters from fire watch and the fire is out when a ship passes by.
There are times when they get along and are friends: at the top looking down on the island and realizing it is theirs and uninhabited; when Ralph shares some leadership with Jack by giving him control of the choir; working together to move a huge limb up to the top where the rescue fire would be.

Where had Simon gone and what does he do there?

Simon went into the jungle alone. He went deep into the forest where there is a thick jungle glade (an open space filled with nature from flowers to butterflies). He goes into a mat formed by creepers, where there is really only room for him. he can look out into the glade if he pushes leaves aside, but he is well hidden. As darkness falls, he sees the candle buds open and beautiful white flowers appear.

What might Simon represent?

Goodness and compassion. He helps the littleuns get fruit, he rescues Piggy's glasses and gives them back when Jack breaks them, he gives Piggy his share of meat.

How did the littluns spend their day?

Playing and eating fruit which gives them stomach aches and bad diarrhea

In what ways does Roger seem cruel?

Roger and Maurice came out of the forest and walked straight through the littlun's sand castles intentionally kicking them over. This sent sand into their eyes, making them cry. Then, later, he had fun throwing stones at Henry who was playing peacefully by the water. He intentionally missed Henry, but he was throwing rocks.

What is Henry doing while Roger watches him?

At the waters edge, Henry was poking things with stick that washed upshore. Also, he made, "runnels that the tide filled and trid to crowd them with creatures."

What does it mean when Roger felt the "taboo of the old life"? Also, what does it mean when Jack approached Roger "a darker shadow crept beneath... [Roger's] skin."? What effect is Jack having on Roger?

When Roger was doing mean things to the littluns, there was a psychological effect on him; it caused him to remember the repercussions that cruelty would've involved in his old society. At this point, Roger still feels limited by authoritative figures like adults, policemen, school rules, and laws even though he could technically do whatever he wanted to.
Roger had just struggled with the rules of society and the and realizing there was no one to stop him when he broke those rules--throwing rocks at Henry. the dark shadow was the dark side of his personality overthrowing societal rules. Jack's actions help bring out this dark and evil side of Roger.

Describe the transformations that take place after Jack paints his face. This mask serves a few purposes. List them.

When Jack paints his face, his whole attitude towards hunting changes. He is no longer discouraged, but instead laughed excitedly with the confidence that this time he would catch the pig. Also, it fueled his blood thirsty fire. Also, "the mask was a thing on its own, behind which Jack hid, liberated from shame and self- consciousness" (64).
The boys felt they were obeying the mask, not Jack.

What does Ralph discover that upsets him greatly?

A ship was passing by, but the hunters had let the smoke signal burn out while they went hunting. If it had been going, there is a possibility that the boys would've been saved.

What do the hunters chant?

"Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Spill her blood."

How does Jack's attack on Piggy and the breaking of one of the lenses in his spectacles symbolize the degeneration of the group?

Because Piggy is an intelligent and rational thinker, therefore, Piggy is an asset to the group. But when the glasses are broken, it shows that the group members are acting more violently towards each other and there is a shift in power.
Breaking the glasses is like a break in their tie to humanity. They are becoming less civilized.

Who finds Piggy's spectacles for him?

Simon