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Fiction

Notes childhood is a neutral, formative state in which children can either be guided towards morality
or corrupted by savagery when they are unguided by conscience or society. The emphasis on
the boys’ childishness in Chapter One establishes important questions that the subsequent
action seeks to answer: is human nature essentially good, bad, or neutral, and how do early
childhood experiences inform individual character?

Chapter Two: Fire on the Mountain
Back with the group the same evening, Ralph blows the conch shell to call another meeting.
The effects of abandonment are visible in the boys’ attire: the sunburned children have put on
clothing once more, while the choir is more disheveled, having abandoned their cloaks. When
the group of boys gives Ralph full attention, Ralph suffers a brief lapse in confidence and is
unsure whether to stand or sit while conducting a meeting. He looks to Piggy for affirmation
of his authority. Ralph announces to the boys the results of the morning’s explorations. He
explains that they are on an uninhabited island. At this point, Jack interjects and insists that
they need an army to hunt the pigs. Ralph, Jack, and Simon excitedly describe to the others
their encounter with the piglet, Jack insisting defensively that it “got away” before he had the
chance to stab and kill it, and vowing again to kill it “next time.” To demonstrate his sincerity,
Jack dramatically plunges his knife into a tree trunk, and the children, made uneasy by Jack’s
boldness, fall into silence.

Task Explain the plan the boys have to be rescued.

Recognizing that the meeting has devolved into disorder, Ralph announces that they will have
to establish rules, not only in meetings, but also to organize day-to-day life. He states that, in
meetings, the boys will have to raise their hands, like in school, so as to ensure that they speak
one at a time. The boy whose turn it is to speak will receive the conch shell, which he will hold
while talking, and then will pass it along to the next speaker. Jack interrupts to approve of the
imposition of rules, and he begins excitedly explaining the punishment that will result from
breaking them. Piggy, grabbing the conch from Ralph, reprimands Jack for “hindering Ralph.”
He says that the most important thing is that nobody knows where they are and that they may
be there a long time. The boys fall into an anxious silence.

Ralph, taking the conch again from Piggy, reassures the other boys, explaining that the island
is theirs-and until the grown-ups come they will have fun. He says that it will be like a novel,
and the others, excited once more, begin shouting the names of their favorite island adventure
novels: Treasure Island, Swallows and Amazons, and The Coral Island. Ralph quiets the assembly
by waving the conch. A small six-year-old boy whose face is half-covered by a red birthmark
stands hesitantly to request the conch. He appears as if he is about to cry; once he has possession
of the conch, he asks Ralph what the group will do about a snake-thing, which he describes
as a “beastie” that appeared to him in the forest. Ralph assures the group that such animals
only live in large countries, like those in Africa, so the boy must have dreamt the beastie in
the aftermath of the crash. The boys seem largely reassured, though Ralph notices some signs
of doubt on the faces of the younger children.

Ralph tells the boys that their goal while stranded shall be twofold: one, they should try to
ensure their rescue, and two, they should try to have fun. He assures them that, as his Naval
Commander father told him, there are no unknown islands on the planet, and thus they will
be rescued. The others break into spontaneous applause at Ralph’s confidence in their rescue.
He then explains to the group the details of his rescue plan. Ralph suggests that they build

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