Lord of the Flies  

Chapter Twelve:  Cry of the Hunters 

After Piggy is killed, Ralph runs into the forest alone. There he has time to think about the deaths of Simon and Piggy, and the complete loss of civilization on the island.

Ralph takes the spear that the pig head was impaled on and goes to Castle Rock in order to confront Jack. There Ralph encounters Sam and Eric who are guarding the fort. They give him food, but tell him to leave because Jack plans on killing him. Ralph hides in the forest and falls asleep.

In the morning Ralph hears Jack torturing the twins asking them where he is hiding. When the find out, they light the grass on fire to smoke him out. Ralph runs from his hiding spot with Jack's boys chasing him. Finally Ralph collapses on the beach and looks up to see a naval officer standing there.

Here is a link to the audio. Chapter twelve starts at 6:13:14.

The naval officer says to Ralph, "I would have thought that a pack of British boys would have put up a better show than that' (meaning would have behaved better than savages). In the comment section below, explain why you think 1) it is ironic that those words were spoken to Ralph and 2) it is ironic coming from a naval officer.


Test your knowledge of chapter twelve by taking this online quiz.

Lord of the Flies  

Chapter Eleven:  Castle Rock 

The morning after the raid Ralph and Piggy awaken and attempt to light a fire, but without Piggy's glasses it is impossible.

Ralph calls a meeting of the boys who are left, and they decide they need to go to Castle Rock and try to reason with Jack.

At Castle Rock, Ralph and Piggy encounter boys armed with spears who demand that they leave and throw rocks at them, but don't hit them. Ralph again tries to explain the importance of a signal fire and demands that Jack return Piggy's glasses so Jack attacks him. Piggy screams at the boys to stop. In the mean time, Roger loosens a boulder from above where the boys are fighting and rolls it down the hill. The stone hits Piggy and kills him. Ralph runs away, and Jack's boys torture Sam and Eric.

Here is a link to the audio. Chapter eleven starts at 5:44:05.

In the comment section below, explain why it is significant that the conch was smashed when Piggy was killed.

Test your knowledge of chapter eleven by taking this online quiz.

Lord of the Flies  

Chapter Ten: The Shell and the Glasses

In this chapter Ralph and Piggy awaken feeling ashamed for Simon's death, and their part in it. Piggy tries to call it an "accident," but Ralph insists it was murder.

Most of the boys have left with Jack to live on Castle Rock, and only Sam, Eric and a few of the younger boys remain with Ralph and Piggy. 

At Castle Rock, we see Jack becoming more cruel to the boys and punishing some of them for no reason. He demands that a couple of the boys raid Ralph's camp and steal fire. When Ralph and Piggy are asleep, they are beaten by Jack's raiders and a log from the fire is taken. However, it is soon discovered that Piggy's glasses have been stolen too.

Here is a link to the audio. Chapter ten starts at 5:16:15.

In the comment section below, explain why you think it is significant that Piggy's glasses were stolen.

Test your knowledge of chapter ten by taking this online quiz.

Lord of the Flies  

Chapter Nine: View to a Death

In this chapter Simon awakens from his faint stumbles toward the mountain where he sees the parachutist hanging. He  immediately understands that the boys have mistaken this as "the beast." 

Simon runs towards the beach where Jack sit like a tribal king, with his face painted and a spear in his hand. The boys are reenacting the pig hunt and work themselves up into a wild frenzy. It is at this unfortunate moment that Simon steps out of the forest. The boys, worked up from their war dance, mistake Simon for "the beast" and attack and kill him. As this happens a rain storm starts and it blows the parachutist from the mountain and his dead body lands on the beach. The boys become frightened and run into the forest.

Here is a link to the audio. Chapter nine starts at 4:51:53.

In the comment section below, explain why Simon's death at the hands of the other boys is ironic. Did you know that was going to happen?

Test your knowledge of chapter nine by taking this online quiz.

Lord of the Flies  

Chapter Eight: Gift for the Darkness

In this chapter Jack announces that there is indeed a beast, and that Ralph is a coward, and therefore unfit to lead the group. However, when the rest of the boys refuse to vote him out, Jack decides to leave the group and invites anyone who would like to join him. Jack's group kills a pig and impales the head of the animal on a tall stake in the ground as an offering to "the beast." 

Later, Simon goes back to his favorite clearing in the forest where he likes to be alone and sees the pig's head which is now swarming with flies.  Simon imagines "The Lord of the Flies" speaks to him in a threatening tone and frightens him. Simon faints. 

Here is a link to the audio. Chapter eight starts at 4:07:00.

Reread the "The Lord of the Flies" speech to Simon, and in the comments section below tell me what you think it means.  

Test your knowledge of chapter eight by taking this online quiz. 

Lord of the Flies  

Chapter Seven: Shadows and Tall Trees

During the search for the beast, Jack sees pig tracks and suggest they hunt while they look for the beast. Ralph, who had never been on a hunt, agrees.

The boys reenact the chase of the pig and decide that they will use Robert as the pig in this "game." However, they go too far and Robert is hurt and scared. 

Jack, Ralph and Roger make it to the top of the mountain and see the slumped, damaged body of the hanging parachutist flapping in the wind. It looked to them like a "great ape" that was moving and bowing, so the three boys turned around and ran away.

Note: On page 88 Simon says, "That's a wound, and you ought to suck it like Berengaria." Here he is confusing two famous women from the 12th century (Berengaria) and 13th century (Eleanor of Castille). For an explanation about who they are click here.

Here is a link to the audio. Chapter seven starts at 3:35:35.

In this chapter there are two examples of "foreshadowing" (when an author hints at something that will come later in the story). One example is the boys loosening the large rocks, making them fall down the mountain. Another example is when the boys almost really hurt Robert during their hunting game. Can you guess what these two things may be hinting at?
 
Test your knowledge of chapter seven by taking this online quiz. 

 

Lord of the Flies  

Chapter Six: Beast from the Air

In this chapter an air battle is fought, but the boys are all asleep and don't notice. A dead parachutist gets caught on the mountainside. When the twins awake they think it is the beast, and go back and report the "beast with wings" to the rest of the group.

Reports of the beast sighting frightens all of the boys, so the older ones go to the mountain to see if they could find it, but they soon lose interest and don't complete their journey.

Here is a link to the audio. Chapter six starts at 3:06:50.

In this chapter Jack and Ralph lead the expedition to the mountain together, and it seems like 'old times' when there was peace between them. In the comments section below, tell me whether or not you think this union will last. Why do you think so?
 
Test your knowledge of chapter six by taking this online quiz. 

Thank You! 

One year older: A lot more grateful

Thank you all very much for the lovely birthday celebration. The cake and gifts were wonderful, but the video was amazing! I appreciate the sentiments expressed, and the effort it took to film and produce. It truly is a special gift. It sort of makes getting older less painful. :-)  

Here is a link to the video.

Lord of the Flies  

Chapter Five: Beast from the Water

In this chapter we see the boys', especially the 'littuns' fear of "the beast" grow. Percival gives more details and claims that it "comes from the sea," making the ocean seem a bit more sinister.  

Some of the boys, particularly Jack and Roger, start becoming more aggressive. All of this makes Ralph consider giving up being chief, but Piggy and Simon convince him that if he did that, they would all be in danger, and civilization would definitely give in to savagery.

In the comments section below, tell me what you think Simon means when he says, "maybe [the beast] is only us"? Do you agree with him, and think the littuns are just imagining a beast?

Test your knowledge of chapter five by taking this online quiz.

 

Lord of the Flies  

Chapter Four: Painted Faces and Long Hair

In this chapter we see the boys' priorities: Ralph believes hey should build shelters to make the younger boys feel more secure, and too keep the fire going so they could possibly be rescued. Jack insists on hunting for pigs.

We also see Simon's personality emerge as a thoughtful introvert, and Roger starts to show definite signs of cruelty.


In this chapter we see Roger bully the littleuns, Jack punch Piggy and break his glasses, and then paint his face to hunt. In the comment section below, tell how you think these events are related to Percival's break down.

Test your knowledge of chapter four by taking this online quiz.