Key Plot Points:
- A boy named Ralph, met another boy called Piggy; they realized that the plane they were on had been attacked and now they were lost on an island.
- Ralph had found a conch, which he then blew to call all of the children since they were all spread out across the island.
- The children insisted that they would vote for a leader. The choir boys voted for Jack, but the majority voted for Ralph.
- Ralph decided that Jack would lead the choir and they would get food for everyone.
- Ralph, Jack, and Simon went to explore and they climbed a mountain and confirmed that they were on an island without civilization.
- Ralph, Jack, and Simon found a wild pig caught in some creepers and they wanted to kill it for food but Jack didn’t have the guts to stab it with his knife and it escaped.
- At the platform, Ralph held another meeting and stated that they needed to look after themselves until they were rescued.
- Another rule was made: the conch shell was going to be used to determine which boy had the right to speak.
- A younger boy claimed to have seen a snake or “beastie” in the woods the night before but the older boys said that it was most likely a nightmare.
- Ralph suggested that they build a fire on the mountain so that people could see that they needed to be rescued.
- The hunters said they would be responsible for keeping watch on the fire but they got distracted and burned a swath of trees.
- After going back to the beach Piggy realized that the same boy who talked about the beastie was missing. Everyone was in shock.
Setting:
Platform/Beach: The boys met at the platform/beach for meetings. This is also where Ralph and Piggy found the conch at the beginning of the story and this conch is a significant item in the book. Because the beach is also the closest area to the ocean, this could potentially be a place of rescue.
Mountain: The boys lit a signal fire on the mountain to get help, which eventually burned a large part of the island. The mountain was also a point of realization for the boys because that was where they found out that they were on an island by themselves.
Scar: This is the area where the airplane crashed and it is described as the “scar”. This represents how the savage ways of man can affect nature and leave a “scar”.
Lagoon/Pool: The water in the lagoon was very warm and calming. The boys swam here and this was a place of enjoyment for them while they were on the island.
The Island: This is where the boys ended up after their plane crashed due to an attack. They had to survive on this Island until they were rescued.
Characteristics of the 3 Main Characters:
Ralph (Protagonist) – Ralph cares about the other boys and wants to help everyone get off of the island. He shows strong leadership and takes a lot of initiative during the book’s first two chapters. He comforts the younger children and he is an example to them.
Jack (Antagonist) – Jack is the leader of the choir/hunters on the island. He cares about himself only and is selfish. Throughout the first two chapters he becomes more and more obsessed with hunting and in my opinion, this will probably lead to unwanted things in the upcoming chapters.
Piggy – Piggy is Ralph’s most loyal friend. Although he is a bit overweight, his smart ideas contributed greatly to Ralph’s behavior with the boys. Although he is a very helpful boy, he worries a little bit too much about his health because of his aunt.
Themes:
Unity – Unity is the state of being joined as a whole. Throughout the first two chapters the boys were together and they worked together to survive on the island. All of this started when Ralph blew the conch and united everyone. Unity is very important because the boys can get a lot more done and they can overcome loneliness and sadness with the help of each other.
Leadership – Ralph shows leadership by his actions and words. He was elected leader for the entire group and his ideas helped the entire group to get productive activities done. He gave roles to everyone and was a great leader.
Adventure – Being on an island is something that is adventurous. The boys had to explore and find their own food while they were there. All of the events in the first two chapters were all somewhat adventurous.
Friendship – Friendship is an important theme and you can see this in the book especially through Ralph and Piggy. Their friendship strengthens as the book progresses and it makes each other trustworthy and loyal. Piggy is a wonderful friend to Ralph and always helps out in whatever way he can.
Theme: Bullying – Because of his obesity, poor eyesight, and asthma, Piggy is bullied and excluded by the other boys. This made Piggy feel bad often and back then bullying was just a part of life, especially in Britain.
Curiosity – This theme relates to the theme of exploration because exploration only happens because of curiosity. The boys were curious and they wanted to explore the island. Because of their curiosity, they found a lot of things that they wouldn’t have if they didn’t explore. If Ralph and Piggy were not curious about the conch, they might have never met all of the boys.
Carelessness – This theme is shown when the hunters, who were in charge of watching the signal fire, got distracted and started fooling around. Because of their actions, the fire spread and burned a large part of the island! This shows how carelessness leads to destruction.
Loyalty – This is another theme that is very important in the book. Piggy is loyal to Ralph and their relationship is strong because of this. The word loyal can also mean faithful and you can see that Piggy is faithful to Ralph throughout the first two chapters by the way he acts, talks, and hangs out with him.
Fear – In the second chapter, a small boy tells the whole group that he saw something at night that looked like a snake or a “beastie”. Although the older boys claim that it was probably a nightmare they were in fear. They kept reminding themselves it was not true but events later on in the book frighten them more about this topic.
Hope – The boys were stranded on an island, but they had hope that they would be found soon because Ralph said that his dad was in the navy and every island in the world was written in a book that the Queen had. This gave the boys a lot of hope and joy.
Thematic Statements:
Friendship breeds trust – “Ralph’s lips parted in a delighted smile and Piggy, taking this smile to himself as a mark of recognition, laughed with pleasure.”
There is always hope in times of trouble – ““My father’s in the Navy. He said there aren’t any unknown islands left. He says the Queen has a big room full of maps and all the islands in the world are drawn there. So the Queen’s got a picture of this island.””
True friends are loyal – “Ralph, looking with more understanding at Piggy, saw that he was hurt and crushed.”
Evil lies in every heart – “The knowledge and the awe made him savage.”
Adventure makes everything fun – ““This is our island. It’s a good island. Until the grownups come to fetch us we’ll have fun.””
Cooperation is the only way to complete a task – “Together, joined in an effort by the burden, they staggered up the last steep Of the mountain. Together, they chanted One! Two! Three! And crashed the log on to the great pile.” ~ (Pg. 54 PDF)
Carelessness leads to destruction – “Smoke was rising here and there among the creepers that festooned the dead or dying trees. As they watched, a flash of fire appeared at the
root of one wisp, and then the smoke thickened. Small flames stirred at the trunk of a tree and crawled away through leaves and brushwood, dividing and increasing.”
