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Fiction

Notes Ralph ignores this confession and reminds Jack to remember the fire when he is out hunting.
Ralph and Jack make their way to the mountain to inspect the fire, leaving Simon behind. The
two speculate as to whether or not the fire is strong enough to signal a passing ship, but Jack
is distracted again by thoughts of killing a pig. Ralph, indignant at Jack’s preoccupation with
hunting, accuses him again of not contributing to the project of building shelters. Not wanting
to start a fruitless argument, however, Ralph points out the other boys near the bathing pool
and explains that Simon has worked as hard as he has at building shelters. The two make their
way back to the huts in search of Simon, but he is nowhere to be found. Ralph, disappointed
and confused, pronounces Simon “queer” and “funny.” The two boys decide to go swimming
together in the island bathing pool and soon find that the tension between them has dissolved.
In the forest, Simon is wandering alone. Simon followed Jack and Ralph halfway up the beach
toward the mountain, then turned into the forest with a sense of purpose. He is a tall, skinny
boy with a coarse mop of black hair, brilliant eyes, and bare feet. He walks through the acres
of fruit trees and finds fruit that the smallest boys cannot reach. He gives the boys fruit, then
proceeds along the path into the jungle. He finds an open space and looks to see whether he
is alone. This open space contains great aromatic bushes, a bowl of heat and light. Simon
eagerly takes in the complex sensations of the forest, and he stays peacefully enclosed in a
“cabin” of leaves until long after day has faded into night.

Analysis
The main focus of this short chapter is the developing conflict between Ralph and Jack. The
two engage in a verbal argument that indicates that each character is clinging dogmatically to
his own perspective. What is more, they represent opposing ideologies. While Ralph is dedicated
to building shelters for the group, Jack is determined to become a successful hunter and
establish himself as a lone hero among the group. Ralph’s orientation is towards the group,
while Jack is concerned with his own glory, which hinges again on militaristic values. Jack
seeks to dominate and conquer nature through hunting and killing pigs, a goal that foreshadows
the intensification of his violent impulses throughout the novel and further identifies him as
a symbol for totalitarian, as opposed to democratic, political organization.
The chapter’s beginning follows Jack on a solitary hunt through the forest, which underscores
Jack’s importance to the novel and explains his preoccupation with hunting. For Jack, hunting
is not an instinctive talent but a skill that he continues to develop as the story unfolds. His
motives for hunting are disturbing. He hunts not for the ostensible purpose of gaining food
to eat but for his personal enjoyment. Golding indicates that there is something tremendously
dangerous in Jack’s obsession; his expression is one of “madness” when he speaks about his
desire to kill. At this point in the story Jack is not sufficiently prepared to kill, but he is
approaching the point at which he can inflict mortal violence upon another, whether a pig or
a person. Ralph cannily realizes this trait when he reminds Jack that the most important thing
that the boys must do is to build a shelter. He implicitly tells Jack that his obsession with
hunting does not help the boys’ chances of survival.
Golding also elaborates on Ralph’s character, which is presented as sympathetic, rational, and
focused on the group’s welfare. Still, he is not a perfect leader. He expresses regret and
frustration that he cannot control the behavior of the other boys. The major burden that Ralph
faces is that he must deal with young children unprepared to care for themselves or fulfill
responsibility. As he explains, Ralph cannot simply give them orders and expect them to be
completed, as Jack automatically assumes he can. Ralph alerts the reader to one of the major
obstacles that the boys must overcome: they must behave beyond their years in order to
survive and flourish long enough to be saved.

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