Thursday April 29, 2010

Chapter 1: The Sound of the Shell - A plane evacuating British boys has been shot down in the Pacific. The boys had been ejected safely from the plane and have landed on a remote island. With no adult supervision, they attempt to establish order and a plan for survival. They elect a chief (Ralph) and he selects Jack Merridew, a militant choir bully, to rule over the choir, who become hunters. We also meet Piggy in chapter 1. Piggy is fat, suffers from asthma, and has no social skills. He immediately becomes the target of the other boys who make fun of him.

Piggy finds a conch shell and shows Ralph how to blow it. The sound of the shell calls the boys together for assemblies and to discuss important matters. At each assembly, the boy holding the conch is the only one allowed to speak. At the assembly, Jack, Simon, and Ralph decide to explore the island. They confirm their suspicions that they are on an island. Towards the end of chapter 1, the three explorers find a trapped pig. The pig gets away.

Characters:

Ralph - The novel’s protagonist, the twelve-year-old English boy who is elected leader of the group of boys marooned on the island. Ralph attempts to coordinate the boys’ efforts to build a miniature civilization on the island until they can be rescued. Ralph represents human beings’ civilizing instinct, as opposed to the savage instinct that Jack embodies.
Read an in-depth analysis of Ralph.

Jack - The novel’s antagonist, one of the older boys stranded on the island. Jack becomes the leader of the hunters but longs for total power and becomes increasingly wild, barbaric, and cruel as the novel progresses. Jack, adept at manipulating the other boys, represents the instinct of savagery within human beings, as opposed to the civilizing instinct Ralph represents.
Read an in-depth analysis of Jack.

Simon - A shy, sensitive boy in the group. Simon, in some ways the only naturally “good” character on the island, behaves kindly toward the younger boys and is willing to work for the good of their community. Moreover, because his motivation is rooted in his deep feeling of connectedness to nature, Simon is the only character whose sense of morality does not seem to have been imposed by society. Simon represents a kind of natural goodness, as opposed to the unbridled evil of Jack and the imposed morality of civilization represented by Ralph and Piggy.
Read an in-depth analysis of Simon.

Piggy - Ralph’s “lieutenant.” A whiny, intellectual boy, Piggy’s inventiveness frequently leads to innovation, such as the makeshift sundial that the boys use to tell time. Piggy represents the scientific, rational side of civilization.

Roger - Jack’s “lieutenant.” A sadistic, cruel older boy who brutalizes the littluns and eventually murders Piggy by rolling a boulder onto him.

Sam and Eric - A pair of twins closely allied with Ralph. Sam and Eric are always together, and the other boys often treat them as a single entity, calling them “Samneric.” The easily excitable Sam and Eric are part of the group known as the “bigguns.” At the end of the novel, they fall victim to Jack’s manipulation and coercion.