Summary of Lord of the Flies by William Golding with questions and answers

Background information and summary of Lord of the Flies

Lord of the Flies is written by the Britisch novellist William Golding. The book was published in 1954. William Golding was born in 1911 in Newquay, UK. Lord of the Flies was Golding's debut novel. He based the story on his traumatic experiences from the second World War, during which Golding served in the British navy. There have been made two movies based on Lord of the Flies; one in 1963 and one in 1990. William Golding has won the Nobel for Literature price in 1983, and he was knighted by Queen Elisabeth in 1988 for his contributions to literature. Golding passed away in 1993.

The tilte 'Lord of the Flies' is literally translated from Beelzebub, which is a character in the Bible. In the Bible, it is seen as a demon or synonym of the devil. Lord of the Flies is about a group of English boys that is stranded on a deserted island.  Ralph is one of the older boys, and is initially chosen as the leader of the group. He tries to guide the group to a civilized society. There is however another boy, named Jack, who is more interested in hunting and wants to gain power over the group as well. There is a constant conflict between Ralph and Jack. Ralph wants the group to keep a fire signal going so that someone might spot them and rescue them from the island. He wants to guarantee safety for all of the boys. Jack however just wants to hunt and eat meat. At one point, Jack calls together his own tribe. Jack uses the boys' fear and paranoia caused by "The Beast" to gain power of them. The boys of this tribe engage in more and more agression throughout the book. The book represents the idea that when there is no society, true human nature will reveal itself.

This summary will consists out of the twelve chapters of the novel. Thereafter, 75 multiple choice questions and 3 open-ended questions will be listed as practice material.

The sound of the shell - Chapter 1

Two schoolboys meet in the jungle, in a lagoon. One boy is tall and blond, the other is smaller, a bit fat and wears glasses. The blond boy thinks they are on an island. It appears that the boys were in a plane with a large group of other boys, and that after an attack they seem to have made an emergency landing on the island, but the plane is nowhere to be found. They realize that there are probably no adults on the island!

The fat boy asks the blond boy for his name and he answers that his name is Ralph. Ralph does not ask the fat boy for his name, but starts to walk towards the sea. When the fat boy asks him if he has seen the other boys from the plane, Ralph doesn't seem very interested. He starts to walk faster and the fat boy can't keep up with him anymore because of his asthma.

Ralph arrives at the beach, which is full of palm trees. In the distance, the waves break on a coral reef, but there is no land in sight. The water is calm between the beach and the reef. It is also very hot. Twelve-year-old Ralph decides to take off his clothes to make the heat more bearable. In the meantime, the fat boy has also arrived at the beach. He is as uncertain as he sees Ralph, who takes of his windbreaker and appears to have the muscular body of a boxer.

The fat boy proposes to look for the other boys and organize a meeting. Ralph is not interested until the fat boy says he hopes the other boys don't name him by the name he was given at school. When the fat boy says he was called "Piggy," Ralph laughs loudly and immediately takes over the name. He jumps around and shouts "Piggy, Piggy, Piggy!" Piggy seems to be somewhat sad because of this at first, but after Ralph has done this for a while he seems to feel a slight satisfaction that he gets so much recognition from Ralph at all.

Meanwhile Ralph is laughed at, and he walks along the beach until he comes across a large, pink piece of granite that rises above the sand and water. There is a layer of soil on this piece of stone and some young palm trees provide shade. A few fallen palm trees provide good places to sit on. On the other side of the granite platform is a water basin, protected by accumulated sand. The water is deep and Ralph dives into it.

Moments later Piggy joins in and after an uncertain moment he undresses completely and goes into the water. He doesn't go that deep, because he never learned to swim because of his asthma. However, he also does not think that Ralph can swim well. Ralph disagrees; he already learned to swim from his father, a commander in the navy, when he was only five years old. Piggy tells that his father died and that he lives with his aunt, who has a candy store where he got as much candy as he wanted.

Piggy asks Ralph when his father will come to rescue them and how he will know where they are. Ralph doesn't know this very well either, but says that they will tell his father at the airport. Piggy doesn't know for sure, because he has heard the pilot say that an atomic bomb has fallen and that everyone who knows where they are is now dead.

The boys leave the water again, get dressed and sit on a fallen palm tree on the platform. Piggy again proposes to find the other boys. Ralph still does not respond to this and seems wandered of with his thoughts. He interrupts Piggy by pointing to a shell in the lagoon. Piggy is excited and with the help of a palm branch the boys take the shell out of the water. The shell is colored cream white with a hint of pink in some places. While Ralph studies the 45-centimeter-long shell, Piggy rattles on about a similar shell that once belonged to someone he knew.

Piggy suddenly comes up with the idea of ​​blowing on the shell and calling the other boys to him in this way. Piggy assumes that that is also the reason that Ralph wanted to take the shell out of the water, while Ralph actually saw it more as a fun pastime. Ralph, however, does not go against Piggy and asks him how Piggy thinks they should blew the shell. Piggy explains it to Ralph, but no sound comes out the first time. The second time the shell only makes a kind of fart sound, which makes the two boys laugh a lot. Eventually Ralph manages to get a deep sound out of the shell. He blows several times, until he is out of breath.

After not too long a child of about six years old comes from among the palm trees. His clothes are torn and his face is covered with sticky fruit remnants. Piggy helps the kid up on the platform while Ralph keeps blowing on the shell. The boy introduces himself as Johnny. Piggy also calls his name to Ralph, but he is too busy with the shell.

More and more children appear on the beach, and approach the platform. Following the example of Ralph and Piggy, the boys sit down one by one on the fallen palm trees. While Ralph continues to blow, Piggy asks all children for their names and tries to remember them all. The children are just as docile as they were with the men with the megaphones who apparently were present before the boys got into trouble with the plane. Some are naked, others half, others wear their school uniforms. They all speculate about Ralph; something is going on!

Twins with rope-like hair are also coming to the platform. They seem alike in everything and introduce themselves as Sam and Eric. Ralph stops blowing on the shell and focuses on the beach, where a group of boys in black uniforms march in two parallel rows. The leader of the group enters the platform and asks where the man with the trumpet is. If Ralph says that only he is there, the leader of the group is not satisfied; he had hoped for a ship.

The leader of the group appears to be Jack Merridew and the group is a choir. The other boys in the choir clearly follow their leader Jack, because even though the sand is very hot, they stand still when Jack asks them to. That is only until a boy faints because of the heat. Jack tries to transform the situation for the group by saying that this boy, named Simon, always faints, which results in the giggling of the choir. Piggy does not ask the boys of the choir for their names, because he feels intimidated by the boys in uniform. Piggy asks for the names anyway. Halfway through Jack interrupts Piggy and says "the fat guy talks too much". Ralph calls that his name is not Fatty, but Piggy. The other boys also take over the name immediately. Piggy is intimidated and he blushes.

Jack says that a decision has to be made about how the boys will be saved, and Ralph suggests that they must choose a leader. Jack immediately puts himself forward because he is also the leader of the choir and that he can on-key. A dark-haired boy, Roger, proposes to vote for a leader. Although Piggy is clearly the smartest and Jack seems to be the best leader, the boys choose Ralph as the leader. This because of his strong and muscular body, his silent power and of course because of the shell in his hands.

Ralph assigns the choir to Jack and he decides that they will be hunters. Ralph states that they cannot immediately decide what they are going to do, but that they must first know for sure whether they are actually on an island. For this Ralph puts together a group consisting of himself, Jack and Simon, to climb the mountain together and view the surroundings. Piggy wants to come too, but Ralph says he's not fit for a job like this. If Piggy however still insists, Jack says quite loudly that they don't want him there and that three men are enough to fulfill the job. Piggy is still trying to persuade them to say that he was first among them when Ralph found the shell, but the boys pay no attention to him and walk away. Piggy goes after them and tells Ralph that he the group has named him Piggy, while Piggy asked him not to. Ralph hesitates for a moment to saying sorry or to further humiliate Piggy, but he ultimately decides to say that Piggy is still a better nickname than Fatty. Then he sends Piggy back to the group to record everyone's name.

Ralph, Jack and Simon walk across the beach to the end of the island. They are in a cheerful mood because they are assigned the job of the explorers. From the end of the island they cannot go any further because there are many rocks on the beach. They decide to go up the mountain from there. The climb is steep and it is difficult to get through all the vegetation. Although the boys are covered with scratches and it is very hot, they are still delighted. Jack thinks that no one has ever been where they are now and Ralph thinks they should actually draw a map, but there is no paper. Simon proposes to scratch the card in a tree bark.

When the boys finally come out of the lagoon, the top of the mountain is in sight. However, they find a loose rock with the size of a car and decide to roll it off the mountain. The boulder falls down the mountain through the trees and the boys feel that this as a triumph that will make the final steps to the top easier. Once at the top, they look around and see that they are indeed on an island. The island has the shape of a boat. On both sides are rocks, cliffs, treetops and a steep slope, in front of them they see a less steep descent with trees and they can see beyond the jungle. There is a second island just next to their island; which looks like a rock that sticks out of the water like a fortress. The coral reef is visible until about a mile from the coast at 'their' beach. The boys also see the hole in the jungle where their plane has apparantly landed.

Ralph notes that there is no smoke or a boat anywhere, so the island is probably uninhabited. The boys enjoy the idea that they have the island all to themselves until Simon says that he is hungry. They climb down again and suddenly hear sounds of hooves on the path. A piglet is stuck in the vegetation. Jack takes out his knife and raises his arm, but then doubts whether to go through. In that pause, the three boys realize what is happening to Jack. Suddenly the piglet comes loose and runs away. The boys look at each other in shock, then smile our of embarrassment and decide to climb back to the path.

Jack says a moment later that he just waited a moment to determine where he would put the animal to kill it. There is some discussion about how to slaughter a pig. The three boys, however, all know why Jack did not strike: how horrible it would be to cut the knife into living flesh because of the blood. Merridew suggests not to show any compassion for the animal the next time. The other boys don't argue with this. The boys go looking for fruit.

Fire on the mountain - Chapter 2

Ralph blows on the shell again to call for a meeting. Most children get their clothes back on after they realized they were sunburned. The choir has taken off their black cloaks and they have fallen apart as a group. Ralph is not sure if he should settle down or stand up as a leader. He peeks from the corner of his eye at Piggy, but he offers him no help. Ralph suddenly finds the right words and tells what they have discovered on the mountain. Jack interrupts him and tells them to go hunting for pigs, so the three boys tell what happened with the piglet. Ralph emphasizes once again that there are no adults and that they must therefore take care of themselves. He then proposes to come up with a rule that prevents everyone from talking at the same time during the meetings. They agree that if someone wants to say something, he will raise his hand and Ralph will give him the shell. The person with the shell can speak and is not interrupted, except by Ralph himself. Jack is immediately enthusiastic and shouts that there must be many rules, and if someone breaks the rules .... In the ensuing turmoil, Piggy grabs the shell from Ralph and holds it. It becomes quiet. Piggy says that the boys hinder Ralph and that they have to let him lead them to the most important goal, namely being saved. Some of the boys are still optimistic, but Piggy says no one knows where they are because they have never arrived at the final destination and Ralph agrees. They might be stuck here on the island for a long time.

The group falls completely silent. Ralph grins and breaks the silence by saying that it is a good island on which they are sitting. There is food and drink, flowers, rocks. While they are stuck, they can have a good time! It is their island and until they are picked up by the adults, and in the meantime they will have fun. Ralph asks if the other boys have found anything other than fruit and pigs. A little boy of about six years old is pushed forward. He has a big birthmark on his face and is very shy. Ralph urges him to speak, so the kid pulls out his hands for the shell. When the group starts to laugh, the boy bursts into tears. Piggy calls out to give the boy the shell, but the boy doesn't dare to say anything anymore. Piggy kneels down beside him and lets the boy talk into his ear. The boy apparently wonders what they are going to do about 'the snake problem'. The boy has apparently seen a scary beast, but the group does not believe him and laughs at his story. Yet there are some who doubt whether the story may be true. The boy says that in the dark he saw a large snake that changed in the morning to those things that hang on the trees like ropes and that the beast will come back tonight.

Jack grabs the shell and says there is no scary beast, but if it were there, they would chase it and kill it. His hunters will go hunting for pigs and also look for the snake, to make sure it doesn't exist. Ralph speaks up and states that there really is no beast and quickly moves along to the most important point: being saved. He says that his father is in the navy and that he says that there are no undiscovered islands left, so that the island where they are now is certainly somewhere on a map. According to him, it must be that a ship will arrive sooner or later at the island, and save them all. The group responds to his words with applause, but Ralph is not satisfied yet. He proposes to make a fire at the top of the mountain so that a ship can see the smoke. Jack immediately jumps in enthusiasm and takes the group to the mountain. Ralph is not able to manage the boys anymore and is left alone with Piggy. Piggy wonders out loud what they want to do on that mountain after tea time. When he looks up, however, he sees that Ralph has also left. Annoyed, he picks up the shell and heads for the jungle.

Meanwhile, Ralph has found a piece of forest with many dead trees. Jack instructs the boys of the choir to collect wood and make a pile. All boys except Piggy help with collecting, although some contribute more than others. Through this work the boys feel adventurous again and they feel a friendship growing. Jack and Ralph carry a heavy piece of wood together and are very excited when they succeed in this. The twins, Sam and Eric, arrive with piles of leaves and throw them in the pile.

When the pile is finished, Ralph realizes that he actually doesn't know how to make a fire. Jack starts by saying that you have to rub two sticks against each other. Ralph desperately asks if anyone has matches and Roger starts talking about a bow of fire. At that moment, Piggy also arrives at the top of the mountain and Ralph also asks him for matches, but of course Piggy does not have those. Jack suddenly comes with the idea of ​​using the focal point of Piggy's glasses. The boys immediately surround him and take his glasses off, despite Piggy's protest that will  see almost nothing. Ralph is the one who succeeds in making the fire; as soon as he has the beam of light positioned right, a small plume of smoke is created, which grows into an increasingly larger flame. Piggy finally gets his glasses back. The dry wood burns quickly and Ralph gives the order to collect more wood as quickly as possible. After a while the boys are all exhausted. They lie down one by one and it doesn't take long before the fire is almost out. Ralph notes that there were only flames and almost no smoke, so that the fire was not very useful. Piggy says they could never keep such a fire going. Jack says condescendingly that Piggy has not helped with the fire anyway, but Simon stands up for him by saying that they have used Piggy's glasses.

Jack and Piggy start arguing about who can speak: Piggy has the shell, but Jack claims that this rule does not apply on top of the mountain. Maurice intervenes and tells them to put the green branches on the fire to make smoke, but the boys don't listen to him. Ralph quickly takes over and suggests appointing people to keep the fire going. He also makes a new rule: where the shell is, there is a meeting, so it is also a valid rule on top of the mountain. Jack takes the shell and says that he agrees with Ralph and that they must abide by the rules, since they are not barbarians. They are English, and the English are the best at everything, so they have to do the right thing.

Jack divides his choir into smaller groups that must keep the fire going. They also keep an eye on the horizon when a ship appears. When this happens they will put green branches on the fire so that more smoke is created. However, discussion starts again after Roger says that no ship has been around yet. Piggy suddenly sees that smoke is rising between the jungle lagoons. The fire is getting bigger and more and more of the forest starts to burn. The boys get excited about all the smoke, but as the fire gets bigger they fall silent. Piggy has the shell and says that they must let the fire burn out, that their firewood is now gone. He says they should be more careful and he is scared. At that moment he is interrupted by Jack, who says that 'Fatty' is always scared. Piggy gets angry and starts a tirade, about that they should have made a good hiding place on the beach when it was still light and warm, but that the boys all immediately ran after Ralph like mad when he dropped the word 'fire'. How does he expect them to be saved if he cannot set priorities? And now they have set the whole island on fire, so soon there will be no food left! And who actually watches over the smallest boys? Ralph says that Piggy should have made a list of names, but Piggy could never have done that alone.

Piggy suddenly gasps for breath. He has discovered that the little one with the birthmark on his face is nowhere to be seen! The rest of the group is dead silent. The fire roars further and a few trees explode in the heat. Ralph seems ashamed and says that the little one may have gone back to the beach, but he is beared down by the fire ...

Huts on the beach - Chapter 3

Jack is hunting in the jungle, looking for animal's traces, with his nose almost to the ground. He finds signs that pigs are passing by. His hair is now longer and paler than when they arrived on the island and his back is full of freckles and sunburns. He has a sharp stick in his right hand and he only wears shorts and his knife belt. He is frustrated that he has not found any food yet. He finds droppings under a tree, that are still warm. With his spear ready he sneaks on. He finds a path that was formed by the pigs. He hears something and with all his strength he throws the spear. Miss, and the pigs are running away. Jack arrives at the beach again, where Ralph is standing at a kind of structure of palm branches and leaves, a hiding place that is about to collapse. Ralph does not hear Jack when he asks him for water. When Jack asks again, Ralph is suddenly startled and points the water to him.

Simon is working on the hideout with Ralph, but the roof is collapsing at that moment. According to Ralph, they have been busy for days and they have just finished two shabby huts. The one they are currently working on is a ruin. The other boys keep running away and do almost nothing about the huts, despite the agreements they have made about this at an earlier meeting.

Ralph complains about the meetings. The boys meet up twice a day, are then very serious, and agree that they will build something. Afterwards, everyone works for five minutes and then they are off to play or to hunt. Jack doesn't like that. After all, they need meat, he says. Ralph says the other hunters came back hours ago and then went swimming instead of working. Jack says he let the boys go, but he wanted to continue. He tried to obligate the boys to continue with hunting and kill a pig. At that moment his eyes speak more than words and show that it drives him crazy. Ralph says that he has not killed anything yet and that he can better help with the huts. Jack insists that he wants to hunt, that the boys need meat and then he gets mad at Ralph for accusing him of not cooperating.

Ralph asks Jack if he has noticed that the little boys are scared because of a dream they had. It is clear that this is about the scary beast that was the subject of commotion the first day, but Simon quickly changes the subject by saying that it is stupid that the little boys are scared; as if this is not a good island?! But they need huts as a kind of safe place to stay. Jack says that sometimes in the jungle, when he is alone, he feels that there is something behind him all the time. Ralph does not believe him. Jack quickly says that there's probably nothing behind it, it's just a feeling. So he knows how the little boys feel. When Ralph says that being saved is still the most important thing, Jack says that he wants to, but also wants to catch a pig first. In his eyes there was a hint of impatience and madness again, and Ralph takes a critical look at him.

The fire is still going on on the mountain, although Jack doesn't seem to care about this. A small plume of smoke rises continuously. At that moment the smoke gets thicker, a sign that maybe a ship can be seen. Jack suddenly shouts "got it!" and the others think he sees a ship, but apparently he only has an idea of ​​how to catch a pig; about how they can stalk one when they paint their faces. Ralph gets furious and wonders if Jack really wants to be saved, since all he can talk about is pig, pig, pig!

Ralph says that Simon does always help. A little later Jack offers to help a bit before he goes into the water for a bath. It is no longer necessary for Ralph, but when they arrive at the huts, Simon is nowhere to be found. Ralph says that Simon is a bit strange and Jack agrees, but his mind seems wandered of. He says that when he has bathed, he will go to the other side of the mountain to see if he can still find some fresh traces, even though the sun is almost down. When they arrive at the pool they see that Simon is not there, even though they thought so. Simon had, after looking at the attempts at building the huts, entered the jungle. He is picking fruit for the little boys, who often cannot reach for it themselves. Then he goes further into the jungle. He comes to a place that is more open. A kind of intertwined structure of climbing plants grows on the edge. Simon is behind this, it is a kind of small hiding place. Here he stays until dark.

Painted faces and long hair - Chapter 4

The boys have a fixed planning of their day. In the morning they play, in the afternoon; when it gets warmer, they retreat to the shade, and some to sleep. The sun creates strange illusions in the afternoon, which Piggy calls mirrors with wise words. The end of the afternoon is relatively cool again. After sunset it quickly becomes dark and the boys retreat to their huts. The boys adapted to this daily rhythm without much effort. The little ones spend most of the day eating, picking fruit whenever they can, even though this fruit is not even ripe. They are used to the abdominal pain and chronic diarrhea that comes with it. They are all afraid of the dark and crawl close together in the evening. They cry less often for their mother than you would expect. The boys all listen obedient to Ralph with the shell. Apart from that, the little boys hardly ever bother the bigger boys. They build sandcastles, with entire networks of walls and traces around them.

The eldest of the little boys is Henry, who is somewhat the leader during this particular afternoon, because the other two boys (Percival and Johnny) are the smallest on the island. Roger and Maurice come from the jungle. They were on fire service but are now free to go swimming. Roger leads the way and kicks all the sandcastles down, Maurice follows and joins him in doing this. Maurice accidentally kicks sand in the eye of Percival and despite the fact that there are no adults around, he still feels guilty of this. He mumbles something about swimming and leaves the scene quickly.

Roger stays behind and when Henry no longer wants to play and runs away, Roger goes after him. Henry keeps himself busy by the water, where the tide comes in and jellyfish can be seen. Henry is fascinated and pokes with a stick in the water among the transparent critters. Roger observes him and looks around to see if anyone is around. He finds stones on the ground and starts throwing them one by one at Henry, and deliberately aims at him. Because of the punishments he has received from his parents and school in his other life, he does not dare to really hit him. Henry is interested and always looks up just too late to see the stones fly. When he realizes what is happening, he laughs and looks for the instigator, but Roger has hidden behind a tree.

Jack calls Roger from behind a tree further on. He is impatient and eager for him to come, so Roger goes to him. Jack takes him to Sam, Eric and Bill, who are waiting at a water hole. The boys have colored clay with them; in white and red. Jack explains that the pigs do not smell him, but are able to see him, so he smears the clay on his face as camouflage. He is not satisfied with the result and washes it off again. Then he makes one half of his face white and the other half red, with a black line from his right ear to his left jaw. Enthusiastic about the result, which looks like the face of a homeless man, Jack jumps up and starts to dance. His laughter slowly turns into a bloodthirsty growl. The mask frees him from shame and self-awareness. The other boys smile along, but still get scared of the mask and run off. Ralph is on the beach and just got out of the water. Piggy is just hanging around. He wears the remains of his shorts and his thick body is golden brown. It seems that his hair is the only thing that does not grow. He sits under a palm tree at Ralph and says that they should actually make a sundial, like a clock. Ralph reacts sarcastically that they also have to fix the plane, make a TV and a steam engine. Piggy insists and Ralph laughs, because he thinks it's funny to fool Piggy. Piggy interprets this as kindness and insists that they can make multiple sundials. Ralph is not convinced of how useful that would be and if Piggy says they will get more things done so that they can be saved, Ralph only says that he should keep his mouth shut.

Ralph lays down next to the pool and Piggy comes to stand next to him, whereupon Ralph turns on his stomach to avoid having to see him. He looks at the horizon and suddenly he jumps up and shouts that he sees smoke! The other boys get active, get dressed to be ready for anything. Only Ralph is calm. Piggy calls out that he cannot see the smoke, but a moment later he also discovers the plume of smoke in the distance. Piggy looks around at the mountain, but sees no smoke coming from it. He doesn't trust his bad eyes and begs Ralph to tell him if they have a signal or not. Ralph does not answer, but runs towards the jungle, Simon and Maurice following him. Piggy still calls after them, but then also starts running.

Ralph arrives at the foot of the mountain, but then realizes that they need Piggy's glasses to turn on the fire when if it has gone out. What should he do? Run back to Piggy with the risk that the ship will then be gone, or run up the mountain with the risk that they will have to wait until Piggy is also up while they see the ship slowly sailing away? He runs to the top and immediately sees that the fire is already out. The boys who were responsible are nowhere to be found. Ralph starts yelling at the ship that it has to come back as he runs back and forth along the edge of the cliff. When Simon and Maurice come up the mountain, and a little later also Piggy, Ralph sees the responsible boys arriving. They are in a group together, holding spears and Ralph soon sees that Jack is in charge of them. Behind Jack the twins are walking in a pair, with a stake on which a pig carcass hangs. Ralph now understands what the boys are singing: "Kill the pig, cut its' throat, let the blood flow."

When the boys arrive on the mountain, Jack proudly starts telling about how they managed to kill the pig. The other boys also want to speak. Ralph is silent, but finally comes forward blaiming the hunters because they have let the fire go out. Jack looks at the fire and seems irritated by how irrelevant Ralph's remark is. He says that they can easily light the fire again, but that Ralph should have been in the hunting group. He proudly tells that he has cut the pig's throat, but also seems somewhat uncomfortable when he tells this. Ralph says again that they have let the fire go out. This repetition makes Jack uncomfortable. He says he needed the boys for the hunt to have enough people to form a circle, and that the fire was only out for two hours. Then he notices the gloomy silence that prevails among the other four boys. Ralph points to the horizon and says there was a ship.

Jack realizes what this meant and runs away. He seems ashamed. If Ralph says they could have been seen by this ship, that they could have gone home, Piggy gets overwhelmed and shouts that Jack is too busy with blood and hunting. Ralph pushes Piggy aside and says he is the boss and that Jack should do what he says. The other boys begin to realize what happened and some start to cry. Jack continues to say that he needed all the boys for hunting, and that they need meat. When Piggy gets angry again, and the hunters seem to agree with him, Jack becomes aggressive and punches Piggy in his stomach and then against his head. Piggy's glasses fly off and fall on the rocks. Piggy cries out anxiously and looks for them, but Simon finds the glasses first. One glass is broken. Piggy gets angry with Jack that he now only has one eye with which he can see. The hunters start to laugh and Ralph almost joins in, even though he doesn't want to. He finally speaks and says it happened accidently. Jack apologizes about the fire. The hunters seem to think that Jack has now done something polite and good that makes it seem that Ralphis  wrong. They are waiting for a polite response from Ralph, but that does not happen. In the end he gives the order to light the fire again.

Ralph stands on the spot where the fire was first and refuses to move, so the new fire has to be built on a different spot. He couldn't have chosen a better way to make his leadership clear, because Jack is powerless against this action. When the fire is lit by using Piggy's glasses, the boys all sit around it. Jack is preparing the meat of the pig. After some struggling, they finally manage to roast the pig by poking small pieces of meat on sticks and keeping them in the fire. Piggy does not receive any meat at first and when he asks for meat, Jack says that he will not get any because he has not hunted. Piggy says that Ralph and Simon did not hunt either. Ralph feels uncomfortable, but Simon gives his piece of meat to Piggy. Jack tears off another piece of meat and throws it at Simon. He yells that he was the one to fix meat for them and that they will eat it too! In the end Maurice asks where they found the pig. Jack grabs his chance and tells the story, with the help of the other boys. The story ends in a kind of dance where they re-enact the hunt while singing the same song as before. Ralph finally interrupts the event and says he wants to arrange a meeting, even if they have to continue after dark.

Beast from the water - Chapter 5

Ralph walks over the hard sand along the water and thinks about why his life is so tiring right now and how nice it all seemed when they were explorers. He checks the points of his speech again. The meeting should not be fun, but should be about serious matters. He suddenly becomes aware of his dirty clothes, dirty long hair and how annoying he actually finds it. When he arrives at the pool, the other boys sense his bad mood and remain quiet. Ralph sits on an exceptionally large fallen palm, so that he looks towards the island, but in front of the boys there is a shadow against the glint of the lagoon. The platform looks different than usual in this light. During the day, the boys are reflected upside down, but now all the shadows are where they should be. Ralph thinks that as a leader he must be wise, he must think, but he cannot think as well as Piggy. But Piggy is not a leader.

Ralph grabs the shell and puts it on his lips. The others waited for this sign and will arrive immediately. The boys who know what happened to the fire and the ship are subdued by the thought of Ralph's anger, the little ones are particularly impressed by the quiet atmosphere. The boys sit down next to each other in a circle, but Piggy stands outside of it. With this, he shows that he wants to listen, but not speak, as a sign of disapproval.

Ralph starts the meeting. He searches for simple words so that even the little ones can understand what it is about. Later on, the older boys can always steer the discussion in their direction. He says that this meeting must be serious, and that it is meant to think about the problem. Ralph is the one who must speak now. Piggy is now joining the rest of the group. Ralph says that they have arranged many meetings, that agreements were made, they got water and building huts, but that no one sticks to the plan anymore after a few days. The first cabin was built by everyone, the second by only four people and the last only by Ralph and Simon. No one adheres to the agreed toilet location, which causes contamination of the fruit. The little ones are only laughing when Ralph tries to make this point. Piggy wants to have the shell, but Ralph shakes his head: his speech has been carefully planned. He goes on to the next point: the fire. This is the most important thing on the island, it is the main cause to keep the fire going! The hunters smile self-consciously and Ralph turns to them and says that they can laugh, but that smoke is much more important than a pig, no matter how often they kill one. They must make smoke or they will die. In addition, they waste time making small cooking fires. Ralph sets as a new rule that nowhere else will a fire be made, except on the mountain. Protests are rising from the group and boys are trying to get hold of the shell, but Ralph jumps up and says he is the leader, they chose him themselves, and now they have to do what he says. Then comes his final point: things are starting to fall apart. They were happy at first, but then boys got scared. They must now conclude that the fear is not based on anything. They should start worrying about important things, such as the fire.

Jack takes over the shell and starts a tirade that everyone is sometimes scared and that they are just nightmares. He calls the little ones 'howling babies' and 'wimps' who just have to live with fear just like the rest. Fear cannot hurt them any more than a dream. There are no animals on the island to be afraid of. Ralph interrupts the tirade and asks what this is about, nobody said anything about an animal. Jack focuses on the hunters and asks if he is a hunter or not. If they confirm this, Jack says that he has traveled all over the island by himself and that if there had been a beast, he would certainly have seen it. So there is no beast. The boys applaud in relief.

Piggy takes over the shell and says that there is indeed nothing to be afraid of. Soon they will talk about ghosts! They know what is going on and if something is wrong, there is someone who can make it right again. There are doctors to cure illnesses. There is no beast in the jungle and there is no fear. Unless ... Unless they are afraid of people. Piggy then asks if the little boys who once started to talk about a beast where they got that from. A little boy named Phil steps forward and tells us that he dreamed that he was alone outside the cabin and was fighting with the strings hanging on the trees. Then he got scared and woke up, and was alone outside the hut, but the strings were gone. He says he was scared at the time and wanted to call Ralph, but saw something moving between the trees, something big and scary, and that he was certainly awake then. Ralph asks the meeting if anyone went out in the dark that night, and Simon gets up. At the insistence of Ralph, he says that he wanted to go to a place he knows in the jungle. Jack makes a joke by saying that Simon was just peeing, but Ralph tells Simon that he should not do that anymore, and that it will frighten the little ones.

Another little boy, Percival, is also pushed forward by Piggy. At first, he does not dare to say his name, but eventually he thumps his name and address, as if it were deeply engraved in his memory. Then he starts crying and doesn't stop for a long time, even though the others say he should keep his mouth shut. The other little ones also start to cry. Maurice stops this situation by shouting that they should look at him and then he pretend that he falls over and makes a funny face. The little ones start laughing about this and eventually it is quiet again. Percival yawns and suddenly almost falls asleep. He was just telling Jack that the beast he has seen comes from the sea. Maurice says they haven't found all the animals in the sea yet, so if Jack says there's no beast on the island, it may still be in the sea.

The boys start arguing about whether a beast could come ashore from the sea. Ralph feels that this is the end of common sense, fear, beasts and no agreement about the fire that is so important. He blows quickly on the shell and the meeting stops. Simon says that maybe, just maybe, there is a beast. Ralph is disappointed that Simon seems to believe in this. Simon is in doubt. Someone yells that Simon might refer to some kind of ghost and the discussion turns to the topic of ghosts. Some are starting to believe that there is really a ghost on the island. Ralph proposes to keep a vote on whether ghosts exist or not, so that they can decide what is actually going on. A majority votes that they think there might be ghosts.

Piggy gets angry and shouts that he did not vote for ghosts. He asks the boys what they actually are, people or animals, or barbarians? What would the adults think of them? Jack jumps up for Piggy and says that the 'fat snail' must keep its mouth shut. Ralph says that Jack is not allowed to speak because he does not have the shell, and Jack replies that Ralph must keep his mouth shut, that he must stop telling people what to do. He can't hunt, he can't sing ... Ralph says he's a leader, that he is elected, but Jack thinks choosing makes no difference. Just giving orders is not useful. Ralph says that Piggy may have the shell again, but Jack says this is the umpteenth time that Ralph pulls Piggy ahead. Ralph yells to Jack that he is breaking the rules, but Jack doesn't care, he doesn't want to hear that the rules. Jack just yells that they are strong hunters, and that they can chase the beast down. The boys jump up excitedly and spread out over the beach.

Piggy and Ralph remain on the platform. Piggy urges Ralph to be strong and let the others do what he wants. Ralph says that if he blows on the shell now and they don't come back, it's over with the order. Then they are like animals and they will never be saved. But if he doesn't blow, says Piggy, they will soon be like animals anyway. Ralph wants to blow, but then wonders if there really aren't ghosts. What if things on the island are so illogical that there is something that watches them and is waiting to attack? Piggy urges Ralph to stop saying things like that. Ralph says he should give up his leadership, but Piggy is against it. If Jack would be the leader, they would only hunt and never be saved from the island! Piggy says that Jack hates himself and Ralph, because Ralph has caught him when he walked away from the fire. And if Ralph is no longer a leader, Jack will want to hurt the next thing, and that thing is Piggy. Piggy begs Ralph to remain the leader. They talk about how the adults would do these kinds of things; they would probably drink tea and argue and then everything would be fine. They would not set the island on fire; they would build a ship. They would not argue or talk about non-existent animals. Suddenly a loud scream rises from the darkness, which turns into a wordless babble. It comes from the sleeping Percival.

Beast from the sky - Chapter 6

In the dark, Ralph and Simon carry Percival and take him to a hut. Then Ralph, Simon and Piggy go to the next hut, where they lie restless among the dry leaves and finally fall asleep. Lights appear in the air, moving quickly, and then they go out again. The battle fought in the air cannot be heard on the island, but it is a sign from the world of adults. None of the children are awake to see it. Suddenly there is an explosion and a spiral trail through the sky, and then it is dark again. Something can be seen above the island, a figure on a parachute, with his limbs hanging loosely aside his body. The wind pulls the parachute towards the mountain, where it is dragged over the rocks and comes to rest among the stones on the mountain top. The figure is sitting there, head with helmet between his knees. Occasionally, the wind causes the head to be lifted and then the body collapsed again.

The twins, Sam and Eric, wake up in the dark in the morning. They both accidentally fell asleep and the fire is almost out. By blowing on it they get it going again. They build a big fire to warm themselves up. After a while the pile of wood collapses, so that a wide circle of light falls over the mountain top. Eric suddenly shouts that Sam must listen. Through the wind they hear the sound of dust. They don't shout, but grab each other. After a few moments, they climb over the rocks and flee the scene.

Ralph is awakened promptly from his sleep by the twins, who shout that they have seen the beast. Ralph calls Piggy and asks where the spears are, but the twins say that Ralph cannot go outside; that it is too dangerous. They lie still, listening, first hesitant but then scared. The darkness was full of the unknown, of claws. When morning comes, Ralph orders the twins to call everyone together for a meeting. Ralph walks to the platform, upright, but he now feels his back poking at the jungle. When the boys are together on the platform, Ralph hands the shell to the twins and they tell their story. They say that the beast is hairy and that there is something behind it, wings. The beast also moved, and it sat upright. There were eyes, teeth, claws, and the beast had followed them when they ran away. This story together with the scratches on Eric's face are enough to make the other boys sit tightly in fear. They are all wary and the attention is now directed outside the circle, instead of inside.

Jack asks for attention of the boys. He says this is going to be a real hunt and asks who's joining him. Ralph says they can't do much with wooden spears and when Jack asks if he is scared, yeah; he is scared of course! Piggy still proposes to stay on the beach; maybe the beast doesn't come close to them. But that is not an option, where else do they have to get their food from, if they are constantly spied on from the jungle? And the fire, how do they keep it going? Ralph says they can't do an ordinary hunt, because the beast leaves no traces. If that would be the case, the hunters would have seen it already. Maybe he is swinging through the trees. They must think carefully about what they are going to do. Piggy doesn't want to be left alone with the little ones on the beach, because what if the beast comes when the others are gone? Jack shouts that Piggy is always scared, and Piggy shouts that he has the shell so he is the only one who can speak. Jack says they no longer need the shell, because they already know who can speak. The 'unimportant' boys like Simon, Bill and Walter have to keep their mouths shut and let the big boys do the talking.

Ralph is angry and tells Jack that he doesn't have the shell and needs to sit down. Jack gets mad and ignores Ralph. He says this is a hunter's job. Ralph thinks it is more than a hunter's job, because the beast cannot be traced. And they want to be saved. Or not? The fire is the most important thing. These words cause the crisis to become even worse, because most boys agree with Ralph: of course they want to be saved. Jack says that there is one place where they have not been yet; at the far end of the island where rocks make the beach impassable. Maybe the beast lives there. They decide to go look over there and to find a possibility to go up the mountain to light the fire again. First they eat and then the older boys leave with their spears. Jack takes the lead of the hunt and Ralph agrees to this, relieved that he has no responsibility for a moment.

Simon doesn't know what to believe. A beast swinging through the trees, but not fast enough to catch Sam and Eric? Simon lowers his pace until he walks next to Ralph. Ralph smiles at him for a moment and Simon is happy to be accepted. He forgets to look around himself for a moment and he runs himself into a tree. Ralph looks aside impatiently and Robert chuckles, while Simon's forehead begins to bleed slightly. Ralph walks along and Jack comes back to say that they have the destination in sight; a kind of castle made of stones. Jack and Ralph try to come as close as they can. From the vegetation they look at the castle, which is about 30 meters high. It is the pink rock that they saw from the mountain on the first day.

Ralph says that Jack is a hunter so he should go. Jack becomes nervous, but anyways says that he will go. But Ralph says he is the leader and so he goes. The others must hide and wait until he is back. He forces his feet to walk to the castle. There is no place to hide. Ralph looks around at the others and realizes that the sweat on his hands is cool, and that he is actually not prepared at all to encounter an animal and does not know what he would do if that would happen. He climbs around the rock and hears Jack coming after him, as he shouts that he couldn't let Ralph do it alone. After a thorough inspection, the two find nothing. Jack claims that this is a fantastic place to build a fort, but Ralph notes that there is no potable water available.

Ralph looks towards the mountain and notes that no smoke signal is coming from it. Jack once again accuses him of being obsessed with that smoke signal, but Ralph says it's all they have, and that they have to go up the mountain to light the fire again. In the meantime, the other boys also come to the rock after they see that Ralph and Jack are unharmed. Ralph tries to encourage them to go to the mountain, but the boys and Jack are busy splashing a large rock in the sea. The boys don't listen to Ralph, and some want to go back to the beach, others want to roll more rocks. They don't seem to perceive any danger anymore.

Ralph tries to get the boys moving by telling Jack that he can lead the group, that they can cross the mountain to the other side and light the fire on their way. This is reacted to with protest of the boys, but eventually Jack decides to lead the group from the boulder back to the island.

Shadows and tall trees - Chapter 7

Ralph follows Jack along the trace formed by the pigs. He passes a message forward that the next time they will come across fruit, the whole group should stop to eat. Ralph tells about how much he would like to wash his clothes, cut his hair, brush his teeth ... He looks at his nails and finds out that he has bitten them of all over the place, although he cannot remember he has done that. He looks around at the others, who are also dirty, with stiff clothes of sweat and long, very long hair. Shocked, Ralph realizes that he now sees these circumstances as they truly are.

Ralph looks at the ocean for a while and realizes how big it is, and how little the chance that they will get away from the island through this water. Suddenly Simon is sitting next to him on a rock and says that Ralph will really come home someday. Ralph states that he doesn't know this for sure, and the two boys smile at each other. Then Roger calls that they should come over and have a look. The hunters have found a trace from a pig. Jack persuades Ralph to hunt it, Ralph agrees as long as they keep moving in the right direction. Ralph follows the group again that is led by Jack. He thinks about the house where he lived in England, and about the life he had there.

Suddenly there is uproar in the group in front of him. Boys are popping up in all directions and a big boar is approaching Ralph. Ralph aims his spear and the pig, the worthless wooden stick. It hits the muzzle of the pig and the pig starts to scream and moves away from the path. The other boys come back, led by Jack, and they go after the boar. Ralph is scared and proud at the same time. The boar escapes and Ralph shouts that he really hit it. He wants confirmation from the other boys. If he gets this from Maurice, he continues excitedly about injuring the pig. Maybe hunting wasn't that bad! Jack comes back, he has a wound on his arm because he was not on time to throw his spear. Jack is angry with Ralph because Ralph did not catch the pig. Ralph continues to talk about how he did hit the boar and a moment later they role play it again, with Robert as the boar. Jack calls out to make a circle and Robert acts to squeak out in fear, but then he is in real pain. The boys grab his arms and legs and Ralph, in an excited mood, sticks at Robert with his spear. The boys shout 'kill him, kill him' and Robert panics. Jack is holding his hair and holding his knife. The boys put the hunting song back on. Ralph feels a strong urge to hurt, to get a handful of brown meat. Jack's arm descends and the circle makes the sounds of a dying pig. Then they lie still, panting. Jack says it was a good game and Ralph says, somewhat uncomfortably, that it was indeed just a game.

Maurice suggests that they need a drum and a fire so that they can do well in hunting. Robert quickly says that they need a real pig to do it really well, like a real yacht. Jack says they can also dress someone up as a pig and then act. Robert insists that they need a real pig. Jack introduces to use one of the little ones, and the others laugh.

Ralph wants to go back to the order of the day: the boys should go up the mountain. The others would rather go back to the beach before it gets dark. They can't get a fire without Piggy's glasses. Ralph wants to see if the mountain is at least still safe. If they encounter the beast, they simply kill it, says Jack, who leads the group further on their journey. Ralph daydreams again, and walking is not as easy as before. The boys have trouble finding a way to go up the mountain. The boys come to a cliff, but Jack doesn't recognize it. This must be the stretch of coast he missed. They now have to decide whether to go back around the island or cross the island. Someone would have to go back across the island to tell Piggy that they will not be back until after dark, but nobody dares to do this on his own until Simon sacrifices himself and says he will do it.

Jack says there must be a pig path somewhere in the jungle, so they decide to make their way through the thick vegetation until they reach that path again that would lead them to the mountain. Ralph starts to doubt whether they will have enough light to find it, but Jack says he doesn't mind going. He asks whether Ralph maybe wants to go back to the beach to tell Piggy about this? Ralph asks Jack why he is so picky on him. The atmosphere in the group becomes a bit uncomfortable. Jack doesn't answer to Ralph.

When the boys have found the pig path, Ralph suggests going straight to the beach and climbing the mountain tomorrow. Jack asks him if he is maybe afraid to go? Ralph then asks the group who wants to go up the mountain. No one answers, they all want to go back to the beach. Jack says he is going up the mountain anyway and asks Ralph if he is coming along with him. Ralph very calmly says that he does not think that's a problem and together they start the climb. In the end, Robert will join them. Every time that Ralph says that it is not smart what they are doing, Jack responds by asking if he is really not just scared. In the end Jack just runs away. Ralph and Roger stay behind, and sit on a fallen tree.

After a while, Jack comes back, and he sounds scared when he says he has seen something on the mountain top. Something that made a popping sound and then puffed up. Roger says that it is probably just a frog that is bulging and Jack has to giggle. Ralph proposes to take a look as well since he knows that Jack thinks that he is scared. Ralph starts his climb and the others follow him. The last part of the climb has to be done with hands and feet, and Ralph accidentally plants his hand in the cold remains of the fire. Paralyzed with fear, he sees a kind of bump close to where no stone should be. Ralph tries to have courage, and stands up. He then sees a kind of ape-like creature sitting, sleeping with his head between his knees. A gust of wind rises and the creature raises its head, making it seem like it is looking at the boys. The face is beaten up. The boys run off in fear and accidently leave their spears behind.

Sacrifice in the dark - Chapter 8

Piggy asks Ralph if he really knows for sure that they saw this, and Ralph confirms it. After all, they have really seen it with their own eyes. Piggy asks if they are still safe down here, but Ralph does not know. He says the beast had teeth and large black eyes. The boys don't know what to do next. As long as it is light they are not afraid, but in the dark ... The creature sits by the fire, as if it doesn't want them to be saved. And the hunters are just boys armed with sticks, says Ralph: What can they actually accomplish with that? Jack clearly doesn't like this, and he gets up and walks away.

The group is startled by the blowing of the horn. Jack blows until everyone comes to the platform, including Ralph and Piggy. Ralph takes over the shell from Jack, but he interrupts him and says that he has arranged the meeting; so he can speak. Ralph gives the floor to Jack, who tells about the beast, and that they were not able to kill it. Ralph has said that the hunters were worth nothing. Ralph protests that he has never said that, but Jack continues with his plea. Ralph would have said that the hunters were cowards because they ran away from the boar and the beast. Jack says that Ralph is just like Piggy, that he talks like Piggy and that he is not a good leader. Ralph himself is a coward, according to Jack: Only Jack and Roger went up the mountain and Ralph followed him only later. Ralph protests that he also went up and then ran away, just like Jack. Jack says that Ralph is not a real hunter, and that he has never taken care of meat. He is not a class senior and more importantly, the boys don't know nothing about him. He just gives orders and expects the others to obey. Ralph only speaks but does not do anything. Ralph complains that Jack is really the one who started this meeting to talk.

Jack asks for a vote: He asks who of the boys think that Ralph should no longer be the leader. The group is completely silent. Jack encourages them to raise their hands and asks them again who thinks Ralph should no longer be the leader. When no one raises his hand, he gets angry and says that he no longer plays with any of the boys, and that he is no longer part of Ralph's people. He wants to leave the group, and Ralph can catch his own pigs from now on. Those who still want to hunt with Jack can come along. Then he runs away. Ralph calls after him, but Jack only says very loudly "no!" Ralph thinks that Jack will return when the sun goes down.

Piggy says that they can also function as a group without Jack Merridew, but that they must now consider what they are going to do about the beast. Simon takes over the shell from Piggy and says they could maybe climb the mountain. The group reacts anxiously to this. Piggy agrees with Simon; after all, the fire must be lighted. But what's wrong with making a fire down here on the beach? The smoke may not be seen from far away, but at least they don't have to get close to the beast. The group agrees to this plan.

The group gets to work quickly and makes a fire. Even Piggy helps to collect the wood. Nobody goes far into the forest, so they mainly collect wood on the edge of the forest. The wood is less dry than the wood they had on the mountain. For the first time, Piggy is the one who takes off his glasses and lights the fire. The fire is too big to keep it that way, so it has to be a smaller fire. Piggy proposes to experiment with the fire, by placing different green branches on it and seeing when the fire yields the most smoke. Only when the excitement around the fire is a bit less, do Ralph and Piggy look around and realize why it was such a hard job. There are very few of the bigger boys on the beach. The two realize that they probably went into the woods with Jack. Piggy has seen them sneak away, in the same direction as Jack.

Piggy says that now, with fewer people, they will probably be better of anyway. Ralph does not respond to him and stares at the fire for a while. Suddenly, Piggy is standing behind him, with the twins, all three with their arms full of fruit. They thought it was time for a party. When they are eating, Ralph suddenly realizes what he has been wondering about for some time: Simon is nowhere to be found! He is not be climbing the mountain, is he?

In fact, Simon went to his hiding place, in the vegetation on the clearing in the jungle. He tries to hide from the sun, but it cannot be avoided. He is very thirsty, but remains seated there anyway. Meanwhile Jack is standing in front of a small group of boys on the beach. He tells them that they are going to hunt, and that he is the boss. The boys nod in agreement. Jack says that they are not going to worry about the beast, and that they should forget about it for a while. He first takes some more of the big boys away from Ralph's group and then they will kill a pig so that they can have a feast. And then they leave part of the pig as bait for the beast, so that hopefully it will leave them alone.

Once on the hunt, they quickly find fresh traces of pigs. Jack goes forward alone and finds the pigs, which are located in a clear and open space. They don't hear Jack, who is practiced with hunting by now, as he is coming. He instructs the others and they surround the pigs by forming a circle. Jack points to a large black sow with piglets, which is a bit apart from the rest. Everyone's responds to Jack's mark and the pigs run in all directions. The sow breaks through the line of boys and they run after it. After some time of chasing the pig, they find the sow in a shelter, but she escapes again. She has been hit by spears a number of times, so she can easily be chased by the trail of blood she leaves behind.

The rest of the afternoon they continue to chase the sow, which they always stay ahead of until they arrive at a clearing. There the sow falls down, overthrown by the heat, and Jack stabs her with his knife while Robert drives his spear further and further into her belly. Finally Jack cuts the throat and it's over. The excitement diminishes and the boys laugh at Jack's bloody hands. He wipes them off on Maurice's face. Then they re-enact the hunt, with Maurice as the pig.

After a while, they have had enough of it and Jack starts preparing the pig. He suggests that they should take the meat to the beach and invite the other boys there for a feast. Roger asks how Jack wants to make a fire to prepare the pig. Jack suggests to sneak up on the others and rob them so that they can make a fire. He speaks with a low voice and says that they have to leave a part of the pig as a sacrifice for the beast. They put the pig's head on a stick. The boys take a few steps back and are completely silent. After a while, Jack whispers that they should pick up the pig. Then he says aloud, as if he is talking to the beast, that the head is a sacrifice for it. Suddenly, the boys think it is too scary and they run towards the beach as fast as they can.

Simon stays in place in his hiding place. When he closes his eyes, he still sees the pig's head. He imagines that the head tells him to leave. Simon closes his eyes and stays put. After a while, the flies that sit on the bowel of the pig and on the pig's head also fly towards Simon. Before him, the lord of the flies hangs on his stick and grins. On the beach Piggy and Ralph are sitting by a fire that no longer gives off any smoke. Sam and Eric are nowhere to be found, so Ralph starts looking for green branches by himself. The sunlight seems to come from everywhere, and there are no shadows. High above the island there is a thunder storm. The boys are worried that the fire will go out when it starts to rain. Piggy also realizes that they have too few people to be able to take turns in keeping the fire going. Ralph sighs; the situation on the island is getting worse and worse.

Ralph asks Piggy what they should do next. Piggy says that they just have to go on without the other boys. But Ralph knows that they will probably not be able to keep the fire going with so few people. He tells Piggy that he is scared. Also for the beast, but especially because nobody understands that the fire is so important: They will not be saved in any other way. He is afraid that at some point the boys will no longer care. And what should they do then? Piggy says they just have to keep going, as adults would do that too. Ralph asks Piggy why the group is being broken up like this. What is wrong with them? Piggy is proud that Ralph accepts him so much that they have this conversation. Then he says that the problem probably lies with Jack. Ralph also believes this.

Suddenly, diabolical figures with red, white and green faces jump out of the jungle. Two figures run to the fire and take half burned branches. Three others remain and Ralph recognizes Jack, completely naked apart under the paint and his belt. Jack shouts to the boys on the beach that his group lives near a large flat stone on the beach, and that they eat and party over there and are having a good time: Anyone who wants to, can visit him and they can join his 'tribe'. He invites all the boys to come to his camp and enjoy the banquet tonight. Jack still seems to be waiting for something and then urges two of his boys to do something. The boys say "the leader has spoken!" and then they leave.

Ralph goes to Piggy, who is standing on the platform with the shell because he was afraid that Jack would go for the shell. Ralph calls the boys together who are still left and says they have to get back at Jack because he came to steal the fire. But then he realizes that the fire is the most important thing, but in that moment he can't seem to remember why. Piggy helps him by telling them that they need to fire to be saved. The other boys propose to go to Jack's feast, because they could use something to eat. When Ralph suggests that they should arrange their own meat, the others say that they don't dare to go into the jungle. Jack goes into the jungle, but he and his boys are hunters, so that's different. The boys fall silent and daydream of the meat that Jack's tribe is probably eating right now.

Simon, who is still in his hiding place, is still thirsty. The lord of the flies seems to say to him that he is a silly little boy: That he should just run to the other boys to play with them, to Ralph, Piggy and Jack, so they don't keep thinking he's crazy. What is he actually doing here all by himself? With the beast? Simon forces himself to say out loud that it is just a pig's head on a stick. It looks like the pig's head is swelling like a balloon, and it speaks with a voice like that of a schoolmaster. It says that Simon should have fun on this island, so he should not try anything else. Simon falls down and becomes unconscious.

A look at death - Chapter 9

More and more thunderclouds are gathering above the island. The heat is overwhelming and Simon stays put in his hiding place. He is sleeping at the moment, and when he wakes up after a while he rolls over and finally gets up. He looks at the lord of the flies again, but he does not speak anymore. Simon wanders through the jungle aimlessly and whispers to himself. He arrives at the foot of the mountain, where the vegetation is diminishing. Simon walks up, but sometimes staggers him, yet he doesn't give up.

On top of the mountain, Simon sees the dust bulging in the wind. Then suddenly the creature that is huddled there sits up and looks directly at him. Simon hides his face but continues to move forward. He kneels down and crawls forward. Then he can finally see what it is; the ropes, the parachute, the body that is perishing there. The scent makes Simon's stomach turn. Then Simon looks at the beach. The boys seem to have moved their camp away from the sight of the beast. They need to know as soon as possible what the beast really is! Simon staggers down the mountain, his legs are hardly keeping up with his pace anymore.

Ralph and Piggy are at the pool to take a bath. Ralph teases Piggy by spraying water on him, but Piggy does not like this. He is irritated because he has a headache from the overwhelming heat. If it would just start to rain, it would at least cool down. Ralph wonders out loud where everyone is and Piggy says that they probably all went to Jack's feast. Ralph says, somewhat uncomfortably, that he doesn't care, and that they only pretend to be a stupid tribe with that stupid camouflage paint. Piggy says they might have to go too, just to make sure that nothing happens.

They can already hear the party from afar. All the boys on the island except for Ralph, Piggy and Simon are sitting around the fire where the pig is being roasted. The boys are enjoying themselves and are the skin of the pig is already covered with fat; the food is clearly almost ready. Jack is sitting like a god on a large log, surrounded by mountains of meat on green leaves, fruit and coconuts full of drinking water. When the group sees Ralph and Piggy, they fall silent one by one, until Jack notices them. He stares at them for a while and Ralph and Piggy want to run away again. Suddenly, two of the boys who were roasting the meat come running towards the group with dinner ready. They run into Piggy, who then burns himself and suddenly the group seems to be one again because they all laugh at Piggy. Everyone feels happy and normal again. Jack orders Piggy and Ralph to give him some meat.

While eating, they walk to the group with Jack. It is now evening. Not a very beautiful evening, though, but rather a threatening one, because there is a storm coming. Jack calls for a drink, which is brought to him by one of the boys. He has clearly gained power over this group. Jack calls the group and asks them who wants to join his tribe. Ralph interrupts him and says that they have chosen him as the leader, but that the group is now suddenly chasing Jack because he is feeding them. Jack shouts that Ralph himself is just as guilty of it; after all, he is now holding a bone in his hands! Jack asks again who of the boys will join his tribe, because at least they will have fun with him. The rule of the shell does not count for him and this does not give Ralph any power. Ralph protests and starts to talk about the fire and the smoke signal. Yet, the boys in the group join Jack's tribe one by one. Piggy takes Ralph by the arm and takes him away from the scene before problems arise. After all, they have already had their meat.

Ralph says that another storm is probably coming and asks the group what they want to do without their huts. The group becomes a bit restless, because the storm is now really starting. It starts raining. Jack calls on everyone to do their dance and this brings the group back together. Roger is the pig again and the hunters grab their spears. Piggy and Ralph also feel the need to belong to this spectacle. At some point, Roger is no longer the pig and the center of the circle ends up empty. The dance continues until lightning strikes again. The little ones come running out of the jungle and after them comes a stumbling creature, which they regard as the beast. Simon says something about a dead man on a hill, but nobody hears him while the circle closes around him. The boys hit, stab, and bite him.

Then the rain breaks loose and the group falls apart. Only the beast remains, its blood already on the sand. Then the parachute comes loose from the mountain. This floats down from the mountain top, over the beach. The boys run, and scream in all directions. Then the parachute is taking over the beach by the wind, over the coral reef, and into the sea. The storm dissipates around midnight. The 'beast' is still lying on the beach, its blood is spreading further and further. The tide is rising and slowly coming closer to Simon's body. Eventually he is lifted by the water and floats into the sea.

The shell and the glasses - Chapter 10

Piggy is on the beach and sees Ralph coming out of the jungle, limping, all covered in dirt, with a black eye and a big wound on his knee. Ralph asks if Piggy is the only one left. Piggy replies that there are still some little ones and that Sam and Eric are busy with collecting wood. There is nobody else anymore. The two boys sit on the platform and are silent for a while. Ralph talks about Simon and they think about it, while staring at the lagoon. Ralph wonders out loud what they should do next. Piggy proposes to arrange a meeting, because Ralph is still the leader. Ralph just has to laugh about this. Then he says again that the beast was Simon. That it is murder what has actually happened. Piggy shouts that he shouldn't talk like that. It was dark, it was the dance, it was the storm, everyone was scared. Piggy says that Simon may still be alive, perhaps just pretending that he is dead. Ralph is not sure, Piggy because has not been in the circle and therefore he did not see well what the boys did to Simon. Piggy says that it was an accident, that Simon was behaving crazy that he came crawling out of the jungle in the dark. Ralph says he's scared of how the boys started attacking him. Ralphs thinks about that he wants to go home.

Sam and Eric arrive and Piggy urges Ralph to not say anything about the fact that they were part of the circle as well. The four of them will live on, trying to keep the fire signal going. Sam and Eric have the same kind of injuries as Ralph. They bring the wood they have found to the fire and then go to the lake. Ralph follows them and they seem a bit uncomfortable. They say they got lost the night before, after they left the party early. Piggy quickly says that he and Ralph also left early because they were tired. The undisputed truth has a heavy weight on the interaction between the boys.

Roger arrives at the castle rock and has to identify himself before he can continue, even though the others could see who he was. Jack has called everyone together. If someone tries to go through the gate without identifying, they have a lever under a large rock so that they can roll it down. The boys agree that Jack is their true leader. Robert, who called on him, says Jack is going to hit Wilfred, but he doesn't know what for. Wilfred has been waiting for hours tied up. Roger goes to the cave where the rest of the tribe sits. Wilfred has apparently just been beaten and released and he is sobbing among the rest. Jack is just saying that they will be hunting again tomorrow, but that some have to stay behind to improve the cave and defend the gate.

They also have to defend themselves against the beast, Jack says. It has come disguise once, and will probably come back again. A boy asks if they didn't kill the beast, but nobody wants to know anything about it. The group feels the discomfort of the unspoken truth. Jack says that if they go hunting, they should give the pig's head to the beast again.

A boy, named Bill, asks Jack how they will light the fire when they catch a pig. Jack proposes to get fire from the others again, he will do this by sending Maurice and Roger. And when the beast comes, they will just do their dance again, although they feel uncomfortable with the idea that there will be only three of them.

Ralph lights the fire for the third time on the beach. The wood is damp and does not burn well. The boys fantasize about making a radio or a boat, but Ralph says they don't want to be caught by the Reds. Eric says that would be better than the guys at the castle rock. Ralph says that Simon said something about a dead man during the dance and he thinks about the parachute. Then he realizes that he is talking about the dance where none of them was supposed to attend and he quickly changes the subject again.

After they have found wood again, the twins say they are too tired to get any more wood. They wonder why is even makes sense. Ralph knows that something very important will happen when they keep the fire on, but he can't say exactly what. Piggy says that it is about being saved. They can only light the fire during the day, because nobody will see the smoke at night.

The boys are going to bed. In the cabin, Ralph does his nocturnal game of 'suppose ...' Suppose there was a plane that could fly the boys to England, then they could take the train home there, to the little Devon house with the ponies in the backyard. He wants to be in a small, quiet village where there are no barbarians. Suddenly he is startled by sounds in the hut. Sam and Eric fight each other in their sleep. Piggy tells Ralph that they must be saved quickly, because otherwise they will all go totally crazy. Ralph chuckles and tells Piggy to just write a letter to his aunt. Piggy takes this too seriously and Ralph chuckles again. After a while he falls asleep again, but is continuously woken up again because of a strange noise.

Then they hear something behind the hut, a creaking branch. Then a voice calls for Piggy, and says that Piggy should come out. This person wants Piggy. Ralph tells Piggy not to answer. Piggy gets an asthma attack from the stress and then creatures invade the hut, are aiming for Piggy. Ralph fights back, beating, biting, scratching. Suddenly it is over and the dark figures go out of the hut again. Ralph, Sam and Eric pull Piggy outside and put him against a tree. His breathing is already becoming more relaxed. The other boys discuss the fight again and Ralph finds out that he did not fight with one of the other boys, but with Eric. Eric also thought he was fighting with one of Jack's men. Then Piggy says he thought they were creeping onto him. Further down the beach the three figures walk back to the castle rock, dancing and excited. Jack has Piggy's broken glasses in his hand.

The castle rock - Chapter 11

Ralph tries to blow the fire on again, but it's already completely out. The wind blows ash in his face. There is no fire, and Piggy is also almost blind now. Piggy urges Ralph to arrange a meeting by blowing on the shell. That's all they can do now, even if they are only with four people. Piggy gets the shell and says that he has nothing left and that he must get his glasses back. He begs Ralph to do something because Ralph is the leader and the only one who is able to get things done. He begs Ralph to tell the other boys what to do. Then Piggy starts to sob and he is no longer able to talk. Ralph starts a speech about how they would have liked to just give the fire to the other boys if they would have just asked. Yet, they decided to steal it. And now they no longer have a smoke signal. Piggy says that what Ralph is doing now is only talking and that he is making no decisions. He wants his glasses back, so something has to be done.

Ralph suggests going to Jack to negotiate with him. They are not barbarians, so that would be the best solution. Sam and Eric think that they have to take spears with them, maybe they need them. But Piggy says that he doesn't care about a spear, since he can't even walk anymore. He says he will go to Jack and tell him what it's currently like. He will take the shell, because that's one thing Jack doesn't have. He wants to tell Jack that Jack may be stronger, and is able to see, and he may have no asthma, but that it would be right to give Piggy his glasses back.

Sam and Eric are protesting, because they think that Jack won't care about it. But Ralph agrees and says that they will come along with him, but that Piggy must carry the shell. The boys first eat and discuss that they should actually wash and clean themselves up. Unfortunately, that won't really work out, so they just have to go like this. The others will be painted and therefore free from shame, but Ralph, Piggy, Sam and Eric are not barbarians and therefore do not need that camouflage paint.

The boys start to walk towards the castle rock. Piggy walks behind the twins, who are dragging their spears with them through the sand. Piggy is just able to see this and is able to follow the boys on the walk. When they arrive at the castle rock, Ralph says he will be leading the way, with Piggy one step behind him and the twins behind, with their spears ready. They walk to the rock and there they are called by Roger. Ralph takes the shell from Piggy and blows on it, saying that he wants to arrange a meeting. Jack's tribe is only looking at him. Roger throws a stone at the twins. Ralph says again that he wants a meeting and asks where Jack is. Robert says that Jack is hunting and they are instructed not to let Ralph in. Then Jack comes from behind out of the jungle and asks what they want.

Ralph says that Jack has stolen Piggy's glasses and that he must give them back. That he played a mean game, that they would have been willing to give Jack the fire if he had just asked. Ralph calls Jack a thief. Jack attacks him with his spear, but Ralph blocks the attack. It results in a fight in which the spears are used as sabers, instead of sticking with the tip. Piggy carefully crawls towards Ralph and says softly that he must remember what they came for: the fire and Piggy's glasses. This causes Ralph to stop the fight. He says again that the group is not playing the game fairly by stealing Piggy's glasses, which just provokes giggles of the boys. Piggy tries to remind them of the smoke signal again, and Ralph says that keeping the fire going is their only hope of being rescued. Otherwise, they will sit here until they are old. In this case too, the group just laughs at him. Ralph gets angry, don't those painted idiots understand? They pretend to be hunters while Ralph, Piggy and the twins have to try to keep the fire going, which of course will never work out with only the four of them!

In the silence that follows, Jack orders his boys to attack the twins. His tribe however does nothing. When he asks them again, the group forms an awkward and nervous circle around Sam and Eric. Their spears are taken away and they are tied up. When the twins are tied up in the middle of the group, Jack tells Ralph that it is clear that the group is doing what Jack says. Ralph is furious and shouts at Jack that he is a beast, a pig and a thief. Then he attacks him. A fistfight is the result. Then suddenly, Piggy shouts that he wants to say something. He has the shell, but the group doesn't care much about this anymore. Yet, he finally gets the boys silent by saying that he has the shell: but in fact it is mainly just because the tribe is curious about what stupid things Piggy is going to say.

Piggy says they are acting like a group of children. What do they think is better, to be a group of painted Indians, or to be a wise boy like Ralph? What is better, to have rules that we all agree on, or to hunt down and kill everyone? Laws and the outlook of being rescued, or hunting and breaking things down?

Jack has meanwhile joined the boys of his tribe and they are preparing an attack. Far above them, Roger has begun leaning with all his weight on the lever. Ralph is just able to dive away, but the rock falls on Piggy. The shell breaks into a thousand pieces. Piggy falls twelve meters down and lands on his back on the red rock in the sea. His skull breaks and he is still bleeding after a wave pulls him into the sea. It is very quiet on the castle rock.

Then Jack starts screaming wildly: Now is Ralph able to see that he really meant it! And now that the shell is gone, he is the true leader. He throws his spear at Ralph and several boys follow this example. Ralph, now completely in panic, turns around and runs away into the jungle. Jack's tribe goes no further than the edge of the jungle to run after him, where the pig that they caught earlier is located. They go back to the castle rock and start making it very difficult for Sam and Eric. They want to force the twins to join their tribe, but Sam and Eric just want to be released. Then Roger works his way past Jack. The group falls silent because of something in Roger's attitude, a certain authority, and Sam and Eric look up at him anxiously.

The cry of the hunters - Chapter 12

Ralph is hiding in the jungle, between the lagoons. He does not dare to wash and care for his wounds yet, because he cannot hear if someone will sneak up on him when he splashes in the water. His pursuers did not follow him into the jungle; it seemed as if they were afraid of the shadows under the trees. When the afternoon comes to an end, Ralph finally comes out of his hiding place. He goes back to the edge of the jungle and looks at the castle rock. Robert is on guard. Behind him a broad cloud of smoke can be seen. This is the first time Ralph has noticed how hungry he is. But he also realizes that he is safe now that the feast has begun on the castle rock. Ralph tries to convince himself that it is better if he does not go to the rock; since the barbarians will go further and further with torturing. Just look at Piggy and Simon's death. He goes back to the place in the jungle where all the fruit grows and eats from it. A few of the little ones run away screaming when they see him.

When the evening comes, Ralph decides that all he can do is try to talk to Jack again. He does not like the idea and does not think it is safe to spend a night alone in an empty hut without a fire. He goes back towards Jack's side of the island, but he is alert. In the jungle he passes an open space and is shocked when he sees something in the middle. But then he sees that the white face is just the pig's skull that is grinning at him. Ralph stands in front of it and looks at the skull. He feels like he's being watched. What is this? Suddenly scared, Ralph slams his fist against the skull, which falls on the ground broken into two pieces. Ralph picks up the stick and holds it like a spear between himself and the white pieces. Then he walks away backwards.

When he arrives at the castle rock, he sees that there is still someone with a spear on guard. Ralph feels how isolated he is at the moment. The others may be barbarians, but they are also human and the night is coming. But he can't just walk in and sleep next to the other boys. He was rejected because he tried to be wise. Behind the rock he hears the well-known song that accompanies the dance he knows. Then he sees Sam and Eric climb on the rock to take over the watch, so they now probably belong to the tribe of Jack. Ralph realizes that he is now completely alone.

Ralph slowly crawls to the stone bridge that leads to the castle rock. When he finds himself right under the watch of the guards, he softly calls Sam and Eric's names. Sam and Eric are shocked, until they see that it is Ralph. They thought it was something else, maybe the beast. Then they say that Ralph must leave quickly. Ralph says he only came to see the twins, but they feel uncomfortable and say that Ralph really should go away. now. The twins begin to say that they were forced to join the tribe, and that the group has hurt them. Ralph says he does not understand what he has done wrong, but the twins say that that is no longer relevant. Logic and reason have now long gone. Jack and Roger are apparently trying to hunt down Ralph tomorrow, so he'd better go away quickly and hide himself. They will search for him all over the island and inspect it until they have found Ralph. Ralph asks if the twins want to come with him, so that they can form a team. But the twins say that Jack and Roger will then kill them too.

Suddenly they hear someone climbing the rock, apparently to see if the twins are keeping a good watch. Ralph quickly says that he is going to lie in the bushes nearby. Jack will never think he's hiding so closeby. He asks what Jack wants to do with him if they catch him. The twins don't want to answer at first, but then Sam says that Roger has made a stick with two sharp ends. Ralph doesn't understand what he means. He hides in the bush he has designated. He will spend the night there. You can only get into it by crawling, and whoever tries is stabbed the next day with the stick that Ralph has found at the pig's skull.

The next morning, Ralph wakes up by a sound. A kind of crying sound spreads like a wave across the width of the island. Ralph quickly crawls deep into the bush he has selected as his hiding place. One of the barbarians comes very close to him. He spreads the cry again, but then it is silent for a while. Ralph waits between the vegetation until the hunters have passed him. But then he hears Jack's voice and the twin's. He asks the twins if they are sure that he would hide over there. After he hurts them in some way, which Ralph is not able to see, they say that they know for sure.

Ralph picks up his stick and prepares for the fight. It must take like a week before the boys can break through the bushes and if they try to crawl into it they will have to deal with a sharp stick. To Ralph's surprise, the voices move away from him towards the castle rock. Then he hears Jack's voice from above, who says that the boys have to raise! The large rock at the top of the castle rock roars down and hits the top of the bush, but then continues rolling towards the beach. On top of the castle rock is another rock that can be rolled down, as big as a car or a tank. Jack calls again that they have to lift and Ralph hears something heavy roar, the ground starts shaking. Ralph roles over to the side and only a meter away from him the huge block of stone rolls past him, slowly like a millstone.

Suddenly a spear comes in through the branches. Ralph puts his own spear through the hole and strikes as hard as possible. He clearly injured one of the boys, and nothing happens for a while. But then he hears something and smoke begins to come through the branches of the vegatation. Ralph quickly crawls to the other side, and out of the bushes. Between him and the jungle there is a small barbarian with a red-white striped face and a spear in his hand. Ralph jumps at him, sticks with his spear and then runs off quickly into the jungle. Behind him he hears the cry again. Ralph throws himself under a bush to rest for a moment. He hears the cry again, remotely, and realizes what the plan of the boys is. If someone cannot continue on his path through the jungle, he cries out and waits for the rest, so that the line remains uninterrupted. Ralph might try to break through the line in the opposite direction, because if they haven't seen him yet, the line will still be spread out enough. But then they would just turn around and come after him again. Or should he climb a tree? If he is discovered then they will just have to wait until he gets hungry up there and comes down.

Ralph misses Piggy, who always thought so logically. If only he had time to think right now! Another idea could be to hide so well that the line passes him without seeing him. Ralph listens, he hears a deep, humming sound that he once heard before, but cannot place now. He is considering his three options again. He hears a cry again and leaves again. Then he returns to the clearing where the pig's skull is and sees smoke. Suddenly he can bring the sound home; when the boys smoked it out, they set fire to the island!

In the clearing he finds a good place to hide, a kind of mat of vegetation that he can squeeze himself into. When he is inside, he listens to the sounds again. The fire seems to be coming closer. How fast does it actually move? Does he hear a different sound than just the fire? The line is almost with him. Has he made the right choice? Should he have climbed a tree? The fire is almost at the fruit trees. What should he now eat tomorrow? What are they going to do with him? Are they going to beat him? Or kill him? A stick with two sharp ends ...

One of the barbarians enters the clearing. Ralph gets ready and holds his stick with the sharp end towards the boy. Then he suddenly notices that his stick has two sharp ends. The boy is getting closer and Ralph squats down, ready to attack. The boy squats and tries to see where Ralph is. He can't immediately spot him in the dark, but Ralph knows for sure that it won't take very long. He throws his spear forward, screams loudly and attacks the boy. Other boys approach the location of this sound. Ralph runs away, but suddenly he is standing in front of a wall of fire. He keeps on running, but to his left there is fire and behind him more and more of the barbarians are coming close. Ralph stumbles over a tree root and rolls onto the beach, where the huts are on fire. He rolls through the sand and asks for mercy. He stands up and looks up at a man in a white cap with a crown and anchor in gold on it. The man has a revolver and wears a white uniform with gold buttons. An officer in the navy. There are more men with guns with him. He greets Ralph, and Ralph greets him back rather shyly. The man asks if there are adults on the island. Ralph shakes his head and the man looks around at the semicircle full of painted bodies. The officer clearly thinks they are playing a game, as he had seen the smoke and thought they were role-playing a war story. Ralph says that this story is true. The man asks if there have been any deaths. Ralph says that there were only two and that the bodies have disappeared.

The man says he will take the boys and asks who is the boss. Ralph quickly says he is, but he doesn't know how many boys there are. The man says he had thought that a group of English boys would have been a bit better organized. Ralph says it was true in the beginning, before things went wrong. Ralph starts crying, and more boys start to cry with him. He cries because they have lost their innocence, because of how dark a man's heart can be and because of the death of his wise friend, Piggy.

Lord of the Flies - Golding - 1st edition - ExamTests

MC questions

Question 1

How do the boys end up on the island?

1. That is not stated in the book.

2. They were taken to the island so that they could safely wait there until the war was over.

3. The plane in which the boys were sitting was shot above the sea.

4. The ship in which the boys were sitting was shot at and sank.

Question 2

How do Piggy and Ralph ensure that all the boys find each other on the island?

1. They walk through the woods and shout out loud.

2. They blow on a horn.

3. They make a fire.

4. They wave with a pig's head.

Question 3

Who is chosen as the leader by the boys?

1. Piggy

2. Simon

3. Jack

4. Ralph

Question 4

What is Jack's group called?

1. The littleuns

2. The gatherers

3. The hunters

4. The piggies

Question 5

How does Piggy not want to be mentioned by the others?

1. Braniac

2. Piggy

3. Four eyes

4. Fatty

Question 6

The boy with a birthmark says he has seen something at night. What was it?

1. A beast

2. A "nastie"

3. A ghost

4. A plane of the enemy

Question 7

When may someone speak during a meeting?

1. The one who steps forward may speak

2. The one who has the shell may speak

3. The person who has permission from Ralph to speak

4. The one who raises his hand may speak

Question 8

In what way do the boys make fire?

1. With the help of Piggy's glasses

2. A piece of glass that they found on the beach

3. Piggy's sundial

4. Flint

Question 9

What is the most important thing to do according to Ralph?

1. To hunt

2. To not let the fire go out so that they can eat and warm up

3. To make a list with the names of all the boys on it

4. To not let the fire go out, so that someone may be able to find the boys and rescue them

Question 10

What happens to the boy with the birthmark when a part of the forest is on fire?

1. He calls himself the leader

2. He gets burned while he tries to extinguish the fire

3. He disappears and he probably died

4. He gets lost and cries until the older boys find him

Question 11

Ralph gets frustrated because he wants to get more help from the other boys. What does he do?

1. He collects fruit for the boys

2. He builds shelters

3. He writes down the boys' names

4. He takes care of the little boys

Question 12

What is Jack doing in the woods?

1. He is collecting water

2. He is hunting

3. He is building shelters

4. He is collecting fruit

Question 13

What is more important according to Jack than arranging hiding places and keeping the fire going?

1. Meat

2. Telling stories

3. Meetings

4. Fishing

Question 14

Who helps Ralph with building the third shelter?

1. Roger

2. Sam and Eric

3. Piggy and the little boys

4. Simon

Question 15

Where does Simon often go on his own?

1. He goes to a place in the jungle

2. He goes to the beach

3. He goes hunting

4. He goes to the top of Castle Rock

Question 16

Which of the following statements is correct about the way the boys sleep?

1. The boys sleep peacefully by the sea

2. The boys are often sleepwalking

3. The boys sleep warm by the fire

4. The boys often have nightmares and cry in their sleep

Question 17

What happens when the fire goes out?

1. A plane is flying over the island

2. A boat is passing by

3. Jack apologizes

4. Ralph sets the whole forest on fire

Question 18

Why does the fire go out?

1. It goes out because the little boys ran away

2. It goes out because Ralph was too busy with building shelters

3. It goes out because the boys who had to take care of the fire went into the forest to hunt

4. It goes out through the rain

Question 19

What happens with Piggy's glasses?

1. Jack steals the glasses from Piggy and says that the glasses are his now

2. Jack throws the glasses away and consequently also breaks one of the glasses

3. Piggy accidentally drops his glasses on the rocks and his glasses break

4. The little boys steal the glasses from Piggy to play with them

Question 20

What do the boys do during dinner?

1. The boys dance around the fire

2. The boys vote for a new leader

3. The boys talk about how much they want to go home

4. The boys make plans to build new shelters

Question 21

What are the nightmares of the little boys about?

1. They are about a fight between Jack and Ralph

2. They are about the possibility that they will not be saved

3. They are about the event that the fire that can save them goes out

4. They are about the a beast on the island

Question 22

What does Ralph think about his hair?

1. He likes how free and wild it is

2. It reminds him of his mother

3. He doesn't think about his hair

4. It annoys him that it has become long and hangs in front of his eyes

Question 23

Why does Ralph organize another meeting when it is already late?

1. He wants to give a peptalk

2. He wants to resign from his position as a leader

3. He wants to announce new elections

4. He wants to express his frustration that nothing is being done by the other boys

Question 24

According to Percival, where does the beast come from?

1. He comes from within the boys themselves

2. He comes from the forest

3. He comes from the sea

4. He comes from the sky

Question 25

What happens to the group at the end of the meeting?

1. Ralph resigns from his position as leader

2. The beast attacks the group

3. Piggy blows on the horn

4. Jack runs away from the group with most other older boys

Question 26

What do Sam and Eric claim to have seen in the morning?

1. They claim to have seen the beast

2. They claim to have seen the Lord of the Flies

3. They claim to have seen a dead pilot

4. They claim to have seen a ship

Question 27

What comes out of the sky?

1. A war plane comes out of the sky

2. A weather balloon comes out of the sky

3. A dead pilot with his parachute comes out of the sky

4. The beast comes falling from the sky

Question 28

What are the other boys doing while Jack and Ralph are exploring the island?

1. The other boys go hunting

2. The other boys are throwing stones on a rock

3. The other boys are taking care of the fire

4. The other boys are bothering and picking on Piggy

Question 29

Where does Ralph and Jack's exploration lead them?

1. It leads them to a lake

2. It leads them to a clearing in the forest where they see the Lord of the Flies

3. It leads them to a cave in an undiscovered area of ​​the island

4. It leads them to the beach

Question 30

What do the boys do when Ralph tells them to keep looking?

1. The boys go swimming

2. They build a fort

3. They are going back to the beach

4. They stay awake all night and tell each other stories

Question 31

What do the boys decide to do while on a walk on the island?

1. They decide to play hide and seek

2. They decide to hunt

3. They leave traces so that they can find their way back

4. They tie up Sam and Eric

Question 32

What does Simon predict?

1. He thinks that they will never be saved

2. He predicts his own death

3. He thinks that they will all come home safely

4. He believes that Ralph will come home safely

Question 33

What happens when the boys start singing and dancing and when they re-enact the hunt?

1. Robert plays the pig and is injured by the other boys

2. Robert starts stabbing other boys with his spear

3. Piggy disapproves of the boys' behavior

4. Ralph gets scared and runs away 

Question 34

What do Ralph and Jack think they see when they are at the top of the mountain?

1. They think they have seen a dead man

2. They believe they have seen a ghost

3. They think it is the beast

4. They see a ship

Question 35

Where is Simon going?

1. He is going back to the beach to let Piggy know that the group is coming back late

2. He is going into the woods to hunt by himself

3. He goes to the top of Castle Rock to find the beast

4. He goes to the clearing in the forest

Question 36

Where do Ralph and Piggy make the new fire?

1. They make a fire in the clearing in the forest

2. They don't make a new fire

3. They make it on the beach

4. They make a fire at the top of the mountain near the beast

Question 37

What happens when Jack wants to have new elections?

1. He wins the elections

2. He loses and threatens to kill Ralph

3. Ralph and Jack get the same number of votes

4. He loses the elections and runs away and calls himself the leader of a new group

Question 38

Who belongs to Jack's group?

1. All the older boys

2. Ralph

3. Most of the older boys, except for Sam and Eric

4. All the little boys

Question 39

Who is the Lord of the Flies that Simon is talking to?

1. It is a swarm of flies

2. It is the beast

3. It is a pig's head with flies around it

4. It is Jack

Question 40

How does Jack's group make fire?

1. They make fire with molten volcanic stones

2. They force Piggy to hand over his glasses

3. They use flint

4. They steal fire from Ralph's group

Question 41

In what way does Jack arrive at the feast?

1. He stands on a high rock holding a spear in his hand

2. He has washed himself and his clothes and is sitting on a rug next to the fire

3. He has painted his face

4. He seems confused and scared and as if he doesn't know what to do

Question 42

What does Simon discover at the top of the mountain?

1. He discovers that he is actually quite happy on the island

2. He discovers that the beast that the other boys saw was actually a paratrooper

3. He discovers a British naval officer

4. He discovers the beast

Question 43

What does Jack do when Piggy and Ralph come to the feast?

1. He embraces Ralph

2. He orders Roger to tie them up

3. He drives them away with a spear

4. He offers them meat and asks if they want to belong to his group

Question 44

What happens during the party?

1. The boys kill Simon when he comes out of the woods

2. The boys let the fire go out

3. Piggy is trampled by the boys

4. Ralph and Piggy feel uncomfortable and leave the party

Question 45

What makes the boys start running into the dark?

1. They are frightened by Simon's dead body

2. The are frightened by the dead body of the paratrooper that is blown off the mountain by the wind

3. They become scared of a shooting star

4. They run off because a group of pigs is running towards them

Question 46

Who is left in Ralph's group?

1. Piggy

2. Piggy and Wilfred

3. Piggy, Sam and Eric, and the little boys

4. Everyone except for Jack, Robert and Roger

Question 47

What do Piggy and Ralph say about Simon's death?

1. They say they can't remember anything about it

2. They don't want to talk about it

3. Piggy says that it was murder and Ralph says that it was an accident

4. Piggy says that it was an accident and Ralph says that it was murder

Question 48

What does Jack's group think of Simon's death?

1. They think that it was murder

2. They are sad and mourning over it

3. They believe that he had to die because he was possessed by the beast

4. They think that it was an accident

Question 49

Who is Wilfred?

1. He is one of the older boys who wants to take over Jack's leadership role

2. He is a boy who is tied and beaten up by Jack for no apparent reason

3. It is the name the boys have given to the pig that they ate at the feast

4. It is a boy that Roger is throwing stones at

Question 50

What happens with Piggy's glasses?

1. Jack breaks the glasses

2. Piggy loses the glasses

3. Jack's group steals the glasses from Piggy at night

4. Piggy hides the glasses so that Jack's group cannot find the glasses anymore

Question 51

What does Piggy decide to do?

1. He gives up and tries to live without his glasses

2. He confronts Jack and asks if he can have his glasses back

3. He kills Jack

4. He hides before Jack's group can find him

Question 52

What does Ralph decide to take with him?

1. He takes a white flag with him

2. He takes the shell with him

3. He brings burning branches

4. He brings the head of a pig

Question 53

How does Piggy die?

1. The boys hunt him down and then stab him to death

2. Jack ties him up and stabs him with a spear

3. Roger drops an enormous rock on him

4. Roger is spreading panic and Piggy falls of a cliff

Question 54

What happens to Sam and Eric?

1. Piggy and Ralph throw them out of the group

2. They beg Jack if they can belong to his group

3. Roger hits them

4. Jack has them tied up so that they will surrender and join his group

Question 55

Why is Ralph running away?

1. He is running away because the boys are attacking him with spears

2. He is running away because he has an idea about how to regain control of the situation

3. He is running away because Jack is challenging him for a competition

4. He is running away because he sees a British ship on the beach

Question 56

When Ralph hides in the bushes, at one point he finally decides to come out. Why?

1. He comes out because the boys set fire to the forest

2. He comes out because Wilfred has found a way to get to Ralph and they attack him with spears

3. He comes out because the boys threaten to kill Sam and Eric if Ralph does not reveal himself

4. He comes out only after a few days because he can no longer resist hunger

Question 57

What happens when Ralph meets the Lord of the Flies?

1. He runs away in fear and accidentally pushes it over

2. He knockes it over and steals the spear on which the head was speared

3. He starts crying and asks if the Lord of the Flies can help him

4. He gets an epileptic seizure and loses consciousness

Question 58

Who finds Ralph when he falls on the beach?

1. Jack finds him, and he is holding a spear

2. The beast finds him

3. Ralph has a vision of his mother

4. A British naval officer finds Ralph

Question 59

Why is the British officer angry with Ralph?

1. He is angry with him because they set fire to the island

2. He is mad that they got stuck on the island at all

3. He is angry because he is not being very polite to him

4. He is mad because Ralph was able to let things get out of hand

Question 60

What do the boys do as soon as they realize they have been rescued?

1. The boys start crying

2. The boys don't want to leave the island

3. The boys run back into the forest

4. The boys throw spears at the British naval officer

Question 61

Who is the Lord of the Flies?

1. The Lord of the Flies is actually the head of a pig on a stick

2. The Lord of the Flies is actually Jack

3. The Lord of the Flies is actually just a large fly that was seen by Simon

4. The Lord of the Flies is the same thing as the beast

Question 62

What is the best way to describe Roger's personality?

1. Roger is methodical and has an eye for detail

2. Roger is mean and sadistic

3. Roger is mainly hysterical

4. Roger is calm and sensitive

Question 63

What is Samneric?

1. It is the nickname for the twins Sam and Eric

2. It is the password that Jack's group uses to find each other at night

3. It is a large rock on the island

4. It is an expression that Piggy uses when he is collecting food

Question 64

In which way can Piggy's personality be best described?

1. He is a strong and a good leader

2. He is rude and mean

3. He is lonely and bitter

4. He is nagging, intelligent and innovative

Question 65

Which of these boys has the idea that the boys need civilization?

1. Jack

2. Piggy

3. Simon

4. Ralph

Question 66

What does Jack's character represent?

1. It represents cruelty, violence and a lust for power

2. It represents curiosity

3. It represents spiritual goodness

4. It represents order, civilization and good leadership

Question 67

What does the character of Ralph represent?

1. It represents spiritual goodness

2. It represents order, civilization and good leadership

3. It represents cruelty, violence and a lust for power

4. It represents curiosity

Question 68

What does Simon's character represent?

1. It represents curiosity

2. It represents cruelty, violence and a lust for power

3. It represents spiritual goodness

4. It represents order, civilization and good leadership

Question 69

What does Simon realize about the beast?

1. He realizes that the beast is satisfied when it an animal is sacrificed

2. He realizes that it is a curable form of insanity

3. He realizes that it is a beast that comes out of the sea at night

4. He realizes that it is not a physical beast, but the barbarity in the boys' hearts

Question 70

What happens as Jack becomes more and more barbaric?

1. He forgets how to communicate

2. He loses control of his group

3. He gets better at controlling his group

4. He starts to feel guilty

Question 71

What do Piggy's glasses represent?

1. They represent order and stability

2. They represent the desire to go home and see the family again

3. They represent the power of science and reason

4. They represent fire

Question 72

What is the natural state of men in the novel?

1. Wise and orderly

2. Peaceful

3. Barbaric, mean and cruel

4. Defensive, modest and conflict-avoiding

Question 73

According to the novel, what role can civilization play in countering the human tendency for cruelty?

1. Civilization aggravates cruelty

2. Civilization can completely remove cruelty

3. Civilization cannot influence the tendency for cruelty

4. Civilization can help control the tendency for cruelty

Question 74

In what way is the connection between the boys and civilization represented in the novel?

1. It is represented by Jack's face paint

2. It is represented by Piggy glasses

3. It is represented by the fire

4. It is represented by the rocks

Question 75

How is order and civilization represented in the novel?

1. It is represented by the shell

2. It is represented by the hunt

3. It is represented by the beach

4. It is represented by Piggy glasses

Open questions

Question 1

Why can it be said that Lord of the Flies is an allegorical novel? What are the important symbols in the novel?

Question 2

In what way does Jack use the beast to control the boys?

Question 3

Compare Ralph and Simon. Both of them seem to be "good" people. Is there a difference in their "goodness"?

Answer indication MC questions

1. C

2. B

3. D

4. C

5. B

6. A

7. B

8. A

9. D

10. C

11. B

12. B

13. A

14. D

15. A

16. D

17. B

18. C

19. B

20. A

21. D

22. D

23. D

24. C

25. D

26. C

27. D

28. B

29. C

30. B

31. B

32. D

33. A

34. C

35. A

36. C

37. D

38. C

39. C

40. D

41. C

42. B

43. D

44. A

45. B

46. C

47. D

48. C

49. B

50. C

51. B

52. B

53. C

54. D

55. A

56. A

57. B

58. D

59. D

60. A

61. A

62. B

63. A

64. D

65. D

66. A

67. B

68. C

69. D

70. C

71. C

72. C

73. D

74. C

75. A

Answer indication Open questions

Open question 1

An allegory is a symbolic representation of an idea that is sustained throughout the story in a book. Lord of the Flies can be considered an allegorical novel, because the characters and objects are direct representations of the central themes and ideas in the book. The central point that the author is trying to make is that there is a conflict between the human tendency for civilization and the tendency for cruelty. Each character in the book represents a certain aspect on this spectrum of civilization versus cruelty. Ralph and Piggy are on the side of civilization. Ralph because he tries to create order and build a civil society. Piggy reflects the scientific side of civilization. Jack and Roger are on the cruelty side. Jack strives for power and dominance, and Roger for violence. In addition to the characters, there are also objects that have a symbolic function. The shell that is used to start meetings represents order and political legitimacy. Piggy glasses reflect the power of science and intellect. The pig's head represents the other side of the spectrum and stands for cruelty, violence and barbarism.

Open question 2

Jack manipulates the boys by making the beast a common enemy, as well as a common idol and a common belief. Depending on the situation he finds himself in, he uses these representations. He uses the boys' fears to bring about strong control and to justify his violence. He lets the boys adore the beast in order to stimulate their lust for blood and to motivate them to hunt. Finally, he creates a kind of god by leaving the pig's head in the forest as a sacrifice. This turns the fears in the children's nightmares into reality. The skull becomes a kind of religious item with psychological powers that encourages the boys to leave civilization and give in to their wild impulses.

Open question 3

Both Ralph and Simon can be considered as "good" persons, because they are on the side of civilization (and not on the side of barbarism). Both boys try to achieve order and harmony within the group. However, they seem to have different motivations for this. The civilization of Ralph seems to have been taught to him. It becomes clear in the book that Ralph has a tendency towards cruelty deep down. Simon, on the other hand, seems to possess a kindness that comes from his heart and that was not imposed on him by his youth. Although Ralph is a good leader, at the end it is Simon who recognizes that the beast is not in a material form on the island, but that the beast is the tendency for violence in every individual.