E Lord of the Flies

AO1 - Chapter One

• The Sound of the Shell

• Fair haired boy (Ralph) and shorter fat boy (Piggy) meet and make their way to a beach

• There, they find Piggy sees a conch and tells Ralph to blow in it, which then attracts the other boys from the plane crash

• This includes the choristers led by Jack Merridew, who tries to crown himself chief for unrelated reasons

• Instead, they vote for it and Ralph is chosen, but he lets Jack have the chorister boys as hunters

• Jack, Ralph, and Simon (who previously fainted) set off on a hike, leaving Piggy behind to collect names, and find out they are on a completely uninhabited island

• On their return, Jack tries but fails to kill a trapped piglet but claims it won't happen next time

AO1 - Chapter two

• Fire on the mountain

• During a meeting, Ralph declares only whoever has the conch can speak

• Then a little boy claims he saw a snake like beastie during the night but is ignored

• Ralph then comes up with the idea that they can build a fire to signal any passing ships, using Piggy's glasses to light it

• The fire gets out of control and burns down nearly half the island, and the boy with the mulberry birthmark goes missing but they deny guilt and act as if nothing had happened (Birthmark is bruise like or marks a distinct fate)

AO1 - Chapter three

• Huts on the Beach

• Jack practises his hunting skills alone in the wild

• He returns to find Ralph and Simon struggle to build shelters as the other boys are not helping as they promised

• Ralph argues with Jack over the shelters, but Jack is more concerned about killing a pig

• Simon reminds the boys of the beastie on the island, but Ralph and Jack leave him to go on the hunt, allowing him to contemplate alone

AO1 - Chapter four

• Painted faces and Long hair

• Roger throws stones near but not at some littluns

• Ralph and Piggy see a ship pass and get excited, until they realise the signal fire has gone out because the hunts have been busy camouflaging and successfully killing their first pig

• Ralph and Jack argue with Jack over it, but instead the hunters celebrate with a tribal dance

AO1 - Chapter five

• Beast from Water

• After thinking on the beach about how to be a good chief, Ralph calls an assembly with the conch to get everyone to take things seriously

• He insists the fire needs to keep going, but instead the littluns speak of their growing fear of the beast, especially Percival

• Jack declares that he and the hunters will go and track down the beast, then quarrels with Piggy before leaving with everyone but Ralph, Piggy and Simon

AO1 - Chapter six

• Beast from Air

• A dead parachutist falls into the trees in the middle of the night and is only seen by Samneric once it had fully landed

• The next morning the two claim to have seen the beast and cause a hunt for the beast to start

• During this hunt, they find an area of the island they call 'Castle Rock' and instantly want to play in it, but Ralph reminds them the need to go back and take care of the fire

AO1 - Chapter seven

• Shadows and Tall Trees

• Ralph starts to lose faith in being rescued, but Simon re-assures him it will happen

• The hunters find pig droppings and Jack suggests they chase the pig, leading to them tracking down a large boar which then escapes, but the boys are so thrilled by the hunt the re-enact it with Robert

• Jack tells Ralph that he needs to keep hunting for the beast, to which Ralph agrees

• Ralph, Roger and Jack then climb the mountain, see the dead parachutist, mistake it for the beast, and flee in terror

AO1 - Chapter eight

• Gift for the Darkness

• Jack calls an assembly with the conch and tries to convince the boys that Ralph is a coward and should not be leader, to which they disagree and Jack leaves in tears

• Piggy tries to convince the boys they need to build a second fire on the beach, but the boys slowly start to leave to join Jack's new tribe

• This new tribe kills a sow and leaves the head as a gift for the beast, and then steals Piggy's glasses and invites the others to a feast

• Simon finds the pigs head, which speaks to him as 'the lord of the flies', terrifying Simon into a faint

AO1 - Chapter nine

• A View to a Death

• Simon awakens and climbs the mountain, only to find that the beast is just a dead parachutist, frees it, and runs to go and tell the others

• Ralph and Piggy go to the feast and try to regain control, but most of the boys are part of Jack's tribe

• Everyone dances and chants in frenzied excitement, and when Simon comes down to tell them the news he is killed by everyone almost instantly, as they assume he is the beast

AO1 - Chapter ten

• The Shell and the Glasses

• Piggy claims Simon's death was an accident but Ralph believes it was murder

• Everyone but Samneric and a few littluns have joined Jack's tribe by now

• Jack punishes the boys for no apparent reason, claims the beast can never be truly dead, and sends a group to beat up Ralph and steal Piggy's glasses

AO1 - Chapter eleven

• Castle Rock

• Piggy, Ralph and Samneric travel to Castle Rock to demand Piggy's glasses back, but Roger sees them and defends the entrance

• Jack returns from hunting and argues with Ralph, which then escalates to physical violence, all whilst Piggy cowers

• Samneric are tied up and the clashing continues

• Piggy protests and the boys listen for a moment, but then Roger rocks a boulder on Piggy and destroys the conch too

• Ralph then gets injured in the ensuing chaos, but escapes

AO1 - Chapter twelve

• Cry of the Hunters

• Ralph fearfully hides and debates whether or not to join Jack's tribe, before finding the pig's head which he thinks is alive and  destroys it

• Samneric warns him that he is in danger, leading Ralph to spend the night hiding as the tribe chant and feast

• Samneric are then forced to tell the tribe of his hiding spot, leading them the set fire to the undergrowth in the hopes of driving him out, followed by them chasing him across the island

• He then lands on the beach at the feet of a Naval officer, who spotted the smoke and came to save them, however the boys become quiet and sob, as they realise they can never be saved

K17 - Civilisation and Barbarity

• "Jack hid, liberated from shame and self-consciousness" Describing Jack, C4

• "Kill the beast! Cut his/her throat! Spill his/her blood!" Chant of the boys, C9/C4

• "Stick sharpened at both ends" Mounting gift/Hunting Ralph, C8/C12

• "We've got to have rules and obey them… we're not savages. We're English" Jack to the boys, C2

• "We'll have rules! Lots of rules! Then when anyone breaks 'em-" Jack to the boys, C2

• "Threw it to miss" Describing Roger on the beach,  C4

K17 - Fear and Hysteria

• "Kill the beast! Cut his/her throat! Spill his/her blood!" Chant of the boys, C9/C4

• "Stick sharpened at both ends" Mounting gift/Hunting Ralph, C8/C12

• "Which is better - to have rules and to agree, or to hunt and kill?" Piggy to the boys, C11

• "Threw it to miss" Describing Roger on the beach,  C4

• "We'll have rules! Lots of rules! Then when anyone breaks 'em-" Jack to the boys, C2

K17 - Power and Leadership

• "Simon found for them the fruit they could not reach" Describing Simon, C3

• "The toy of voting was almost as pleasing as the conch" Describing the meetings, C1

• "Kill the beast! Cut his/her throat! Spill his/her blood!" Chant of the boys, C9/C4

• "Stick sharpened at both ends" Mounting gift/Hunting Ralph, C8/C12

• "Which is better - to have rules and to agree, or to hunt and kill?" Piggy to the boys, C11

• "I can sing C sharp" Jack to the boys, C1

• "We've got to have rules and obey them… we're not savages. We're English" Jack to the boys, C2

• "We'll have rules! Lots of rules! Then when anyone breaks 'em-" Jack to the boys, C2

K17 - Nature and its corruption

• "Simon found for them the fruit they could not reach" Describing Simon, C3

• "Jack hid, liberated from shame and self-consciousness" Describing Jack, C4

• "Exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist" Conch's destruction, C11

• "The long scar smashed into the jungle was a bath of heat" Describing the plane crash, C1

• "Threw it to miss" Describing Roger on the beach, C4

K17 - Games and Immaturity

• "Wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of Man's heart" Describing Ralph, C12

• "The toy of voting was almost as pleasing as the conch" Describing the meetings, C1

• "Exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist" Conch's destruction, C11

• "Kill the beast! Cut his/her throat! Spill his/her blood!" Chant of the boys, C9/C4

• "Stick sharpened at both ends" Mounting gift/Hunting Ralph, C8/C12

• "I can sing C sharp" Jack to the boys, C1

• "Threw it to miss" Describing Roger on the beach,  C4

• "We'll have rules! Lots of rules! Then when anyone breaks 'em-" Jack to the boys, C2

K17 - Quotes for Evil and Human nature

• "Wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of Man's heart" Describing Ralph, C12

• "Simon found for them the fruit they could not reach" Describing Simon, C3

• "Inarticulate in his effort to explain mankind's essential illness" Describing Simon, C5

• "Jack hid, liberated from shame and self-consciousness" Describing Jack, C4

• "Fancy thinking the beast was something you could hunt and kill" The head to Simon, C8

• "Which is better - to have rules and to agree, or to hunt and kill?" Piggy to the boys, C11

• "There isn't anyone to help you. Only me. And I'm the Beast" The head to Simon, C8

• "Threw it to miss" Describing Roger on the beach,  C4

• "We'll have rules! Lots of rules! Then when anyone breaks 'em-" Jack to the boys, C2

K17 - Spirituality

• "Simon found for them the fruit they could not reach" Describing Simon, C3

• "Inarticulate in his effort to explain mankind's essential illness" Describing Simon, C5

• "Jack hid, liberated from shame and self-consciousness" Describing Jack, C4

• "Fancy thinking the beast was something you could hunt and kill" The head to Simon, C8

• "There isn't anyone to help you. Only me. And I'm the Beast" The head to Simon, C8

• "Fear can't hurt you any more than a dream" Piggy to the boys, C5

K17 - Political systems

• "Simon found for them the fruit they could not reach" Describing Simon, C3

• "Inarticulate in his effort to explain mankind's essential illness" Describing Simon, C5

• "Jack hid, liberated from shame and self-consciousness" Describing Jack, C4

• "Exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist" Conch's destruction, C11

• "Stick sharpened at both ends" Mounting gift/Hunting Ralph, C8/C12

• "I can sing C sharp" Jack to the boys, C1

• "We've got to have rules and obey them… we're not savages. We're English" Jack to the boys, C2

• "Fear can't hurt you any more than a dream" Piggy to the boys, C5

• "We'll have rules! Lots of rules! Then when anyone breaks 'em-" Jack to the boys, C2

Context

• Recent Second World War

• MAD fears spread across USSR and USA

• Golding worked as a teacher in an all boys school and fought in the Navy during the War

• Britain had recently lost its empire

• Class system was very prominent

• Nazi Regime oppressed, belittled and manipulated

• Other literature at the time showed stranding as a positive experience

• Biblical link to Original Sin AKA “The Fall”

• Freud’s psychoanalytic theory shown in Roger/Jack (Id), Ralph (Ego) and Piggy (Superego)