Complete Summary and Analysis of Lord of the Flies
Complete Summary and Analysis of Lord of the Flies
Summary
In the midst of war, a transport plane carrying a group of English boys is shot down, crashing in a thick jungle on a deserted island. Scattered by the wreck, the surviving boys lose each other. One of the older boys, Ralph, meets Piggy, a chubby, intellectual boy, on the beach. They discover a large white conch shell; Piggy realizes that it could be used as a kind of makeshift trumpet and convinces Ralph to blow it to find the other boys. Summoned by the blast of sound from the shell, boys begin straggling onto the beach. The oldest among them are around twelve; the youngest are only five. Among the group is a boys' choir, dressed in black gowns and led by an older boy named Jack. The boys all taunt Piggy, mocking his appearance and his nickname; Jack snaps at them to stand at attention.
The boys decide to elect a leader; Ralph wins the vote, though Jack clearly wants the position. To mitigate Jack's ambition, Ralph asks the choir to serve as the hunters for the band of boys, and asks Jack to lead them. Mindful of the need to explore their new environment, the boys choose Ralph, Jack, and a choir member named Simon to explore the island, ignoring Piggy's whining requests to be picked. The trio of explorers leaves the meeting place and climbs up the side of a large hill; they play together and feel a bond emerging between them. They find a wild pig caught in a tangle of vines; Jack, the newly appointed hunter, attempts to kill it with his knife, but is unable to bring himself to do it. The pig gets away, and Jack vows that next time he will not flinch from the deed.
When the explorers return, the boys meet again. Ralph tells the group that there are no adults on the island, but that if they remain calm and orderly, they will eventually be rescued. Ralph declares that, at meetings, the conch shell will be used to determine who has the right to speak; whoever is holding the conch shell will be allowed to speak, and the others must silently listen. Piggy haughtily informs the group that they should focus on increasing their chances of rescue, but he is largely ignored; one of the younger children claims...