Lord of the Flies

Abstract

The novel follows a group of English schoolboys who end up stuck on a deserted island after the plane they were being evacuated on crashes. Though some of them attempt to step up (Ralph and Piggy) and establish a semblance order, others attempt to capitalize on the matter by enforcing their own position (Jack). Without adult authority, the situation quickly deteriorates, as the boys cannot be made to keep habits and chores which will ensure their prolonged survival and rescue. The bloodthirst exhibited by Jack’s faction, a clique which focuses on hunting wild pigs on the island, causes further rifts among the group as the plot progresses. This brutality, combined with growing fears of a winged monster believed to inhabit the forest (later revealed to be the corpse of a combat pilot, suspended on the treeline from his parachute) leads to an increase of the boys’ cult-like, violent behaviour, which culminates in the semi-ritualistic killing of another boy during a group feast. Shortly after, the conflict between Ralph and Jack finally comes to a head. With Jack having recently taken over the leadership of the rest of the group, he orders that Ralph be chased down for his transgressions. To prevent Ralph from finding shelter within, Jack sets fire to the island’s forest, unwittingly leading to the boys’ rescue, as the smoke and fire causes a British ship to land on the island to investigate.