Chapter Summaries

Chapter 1: The Sound of the Shell

The opening chapter begins with two boys, Piggy and Ralph, making their way through an island. The reader is introduced to the main characters and the problems they face.
Ralph, a fair-haired boy encounters another boy named Piggy at a lagoon on a beach. The boys’ dialogue tells the reader that they have been shot down over an ocean in an inhabited tropical island.

Unable to find any adults, the two share mix feelings. Ralph does not mind not being under adult supervision, whereas Piggy is terrified that there are no adults in charge. Ralph says that his father is a commander in the navy and that he does not worry about staying on the island for a while. He does not feel anxiety; his father will come to rescue them when he can. Piggy seems paranoid and wimpy and does not think that is the best way to get off the island. The two, continue their conversation with a walk on the beach. This is when Piggy notices a conch and suggests that Ralph uses it to call everyone. His suggestion works and soon, one by one, the different children-also survivors of a plane crash- appear on the beach.

The first boy to arrive is Johnny who is only six years old. Following him arrive a pair of identical twins, Sam and Eric and soon a large group of young choirboys arrive with their leader, Jack. Once everyone arrived, the large groups decide to elect a leader to hold meetings and keep things under control. Of course, the choirboys elect Jack while the rest of the boys Ralph, making him the new leader. Jack’s cold, unwavering demeanor makes him suitable for having the duty of leading the choir, who become hunters. Simon, a member of the choir and the two leaders venture and explore the island. On their way back to the beach after the venturous adventure, they discover a pig, however hesitate to kill him. The pig runs away and the boys come back to the beach.
-Amira M
Chapter 2: Fire on the Mountain

When the three return, Ralph calls for another meeting using the conch shell. At this point of the story, every one respects this symbol and view it as authority. Ralph wants the group to organize themselves and so the conch is a symbol of authority, where the person holding it in his hands is listened to. Jack regrets not having killed the pig and agrees that hunters will be needed to kill animals.

One again, Piggy reminds the crowd that no one knows where they are and that they could be stuck on the deserted island for a while. This scares the little boys and one of them says that he had seen a monster the night before. Ralph tries to reassure the boys that there is no beast and proposes that they should start a fire on top of a mountain, so that any one passing by the island would know someone is trapped and needs rescue.

A group of boys rush to the top of the mountain and use the lenses from Piggy’s glasses to focus the sunlight and start the fire. Although, they manage to start the fire, it soon goes off and they return to the beach. Upon their arrival, they discover that the boy -who talked about seeing a monster-is missing. Terrified and shocked, Ralph first blames Piggy for not keeping good track of the little ones and later tells the others that there is a chance that the boy had not died. The group is not convinced, face the reality and pretend as though nothing had happened.
-Amira M

Chapter 3: Huts on the Beach

The chapter begins many days after the fire on the mountain.

Jack tries to hunt pigs; however his spear drives the pigs away. Frustrated, he returns to the beach where he finds the rests of the boys building huts. According to Ralph, the “littleuns”- the young boys- are not working hard but instead spend their time playing around. This frustrates him because the huts are essential for surviving on the island. He feels that the boys agree to few minutes of work but then wander off playing in the lagoon. Ralph tells Jack, that he and his hunters have yet to bring meat to the other members. Jack tries to defend himself by complaining on how hard it is to have control over his hunters and the two begin to argue. The two grow hostile more after the two argue about whether building huts is more important than hunting.

The two are interrupted by Simon who reminds them about the monster that the littleuns are frightened of. According to Jack, he too feels insecure; when he is hunting, he feels as though he is, “not hunting — but being hunted... As though something is behind you all the time in the jungle. ” Ralph and Jack decide to go to lagoon for a swim regain their sense of companionship but they grow more hostile.

In the meantime. Simon wanders into the jungle, helps the littluns pick fruits and then wanders off more, finding a clearing. The little boy finds a beautiful space filled with flowers and sits down to admire the beauty of the scene. He sits there until night fall.
-Amira M