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Unit 25: William Golding — Lord of the Flies: Detailed Study of Text-I

a fire on the top of the mountain, for the smoke will signal their presence to passing ships. Notes
Jack summons the boys to come build a fire on the mountaintop, and they immediately follow,
leaving Piggy and Ralph behind to discuss the outcome of the meeting.
Piggy expresses disgust at the childish behavior of the boys as Ralph catches up to the group
and helps them carry piles of wood to the mountaintop. Eventually, the task proves too
difficult for some of the smaller boys, who lose interest and search for fruit to eat. When they
have gathered enough wood, Ralph and Jack wonder how to start a fire. Piggy arrives, and
Jack suggests that they use his glasses. Jack snatches the glasses from Piggy, who can barely
see without them. A boy named Maurice suggests that they use green branches to ignite the
fire. After a few attempts, the glasses concentrate the rays of the sun and start a fire. Though
the boys are mesmerized by the fire, it soon burns out. Piggy, disheartened by the waste of
their only firewood, chastises Jack, and the two argue bitterly.
Ralph grabs the conch from Piggy and again reminds the group of the importance of rules.
Jack agrees, explaining that they are not savages, they are English, and the English are the best
at everything, so they must follow the right rules. Ralph concedes they might never be saved,
and Piggy claims that he has been saying that, but nobody has listened. They get the fire going
once more. While Piggy has the conch, he loses his temper again, telling the other boys they
should have listened to his earlier orders to build shelters first while a fire is of secondary
importance. Piggy worries that they still do not know exactly how many boys there are, and
he mentions the snakes. Suddenly, one of the trees catches on fire, and one of the boys screams
about snakes. Piggy thinks that one of the boys is missing.

Analysis

In the novel’s second chapter, Golding uses the progress of the boys on the island as a metaphor
for early human development. The boys’ first achievement on the island is to build a fire,
which like the conch shell brings the entire group of boys together in awe and wonder.
According to Piggy, the next step should be for the boys to build some sort of shelter, again
a mirror of the historical development of early human society. The “government” established
by Ralph also develops during this chapter. Golding uses these developments to signal that
the island is becoming a society with rules that mirror Western democratic culture. The conch
shell, which authorizes its holder to speak and is available to all, is a particular symbol of the
ideal of democratic freedom and equality. But, since Ralph decides who gets possession of the
conch, the freedoms of the island are decided by authority. Though Ralph is a benevolent
leader, the implication here is that democracy still depends on its leaders for justice.
Also like a democratic system, the makeshift government on the island sparks debate and
dissent. Jack and Piggy have differing perspectives on what particular end Ralph’s rules will
serve. Ralph takes a rational perspective based on ideas of justice: the rules will allow the boys
to live fairly with one another, a belief that fits well with his democratic sensibility. Jack
relishes the idea of rules as a means for control and for punishment, a reflection of his dictatorial
ethos and tendency toward violence. Piggy, as the most intelligent of the three central characters,
views the rules as useful tools for survival. He views all aspects of the boys’ behavior on the
island in terms of whether they will contribute to their eventual rescue.
Golding continues to present Ralph as a calming, authoritative presence among the boys.
When fear sets in among some of the younger boys, only Ralph has the presence to restore
order and hope. Despite Piggy’s clear thinking and appraisal of their situation, his contentious
manner and rude dismissal of the younger boys unfortunately causes his ideas to be dismissed.
Even more importantly, he is a cynic who can do nothing to comfort the others, instead
instilling in them a sense of fatalism. Piggy, whose pessimism and sadness make him a likely

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