Chapter 1

Summary:

At the beginning of the novel, a plane crash occurs on a remote island in the middle of the ocean. Two boys meet; a handsome boy named Ralph and a chubbier but intelligent one named Piggy. As they are exploring the a small portion of the island, they find a conch and Piggy convinces Ralph to blow into it. After he blows into the conch, fourteen boys come running to see who it is. There is a choir led by an older boy named Jack. The boys' ages range from young to around near adolescence. The boys have a meeting and select Ralph as a leader based on his appearance. However, Jack is obviously jealous. To please Jack, they name him the leader of the hunting group. They make Piggy learn all of the children's names because Ralph states that he is of no use in exploring. Ralph, Simon, a choir member, and Jack go out exploring the island. When they climb up the mountain, they see that there is no sign of civilization. However, Ralph feels as if the island is their own paradise. On their way back to the beach, they see that a pig is caught in vines. Jack steps up to kill it but he hesitates and the pig gets away. The next time he gets a chance at a kill, he vows that he won't let it slip away. The boys make their way back to the beach.

Analysis:

In chapter 1, the boys, still unsure of how to behave with no adult supervision overseeing them, largely stick to the learned behaviors of civilization and order. They attempt to re-create the structures of society on their deserted island. They elect a leader, establish a labor system, and set out, orderly exploring the island. But even at this early stage, we see the danger that the boys have come to in their early civilization. The boys cruelly taunt Piggy. Jack displays a desire to be elected the group’s leader. When he is not chosen as group leader, he is obviously jealous.

A symbol in chapter 1 is Piggy. Piggy can represent the intelligence on the island. He obviously has knowledge based on what to do in this situation. "We can use this to call the others. Have a meeting. They'll come when they hear us-(Lord 16)" He knows that you can blow into the conch and that it will make a bellowing noise to lure the others toward them. Even though he is smart, he also is made fun of. The boys don't think of his intelligence. They only judge him based on his appearance. They make fun of his size. He can compare to a runt in a litter of dogs because he is left out sometime,s and no one cares about what he has to say. Since they disregard his knowledge, it will backfire at the group of boys.

The conch shell is also a minor symbol in chapter 1; however, it is a bigger symbol as the story goes on. It symbolizes how the group was brought together at the beach. The conch shell represents law, order, and political position. It gives the boys their political positions on the island and gives its holder the right to speak in front of the group. However, everyone must obey this rule in order for it to work.

Ralph is chosen the leader by most of the boys on the island. His handsome appearance and leadership qualities are what persuade them into giving him the position. Now that he is leader, he has to make decisions. However, he may not be the best choice of leader for the group. He does not have any knowledge of survival. Ralph is cocky and does not usually accept the suggestions of Piggy. Jack and Ralph often argue. They do not make much progress in the first chapter other than discovering that they are on an island.

From the beginning of the novel, Jack wants power above all other things. He is furious when he loses the election to Ralph and continually pushes the boundaries of his lower role in the group. He tells people to shut up and has a bad attitude because he lost the election. Early on, Jack repossesses the qualities of leadership and behavior from civilized life. In fact, in school, he was the leader of the choirboys. The first time he encounters a pig, he is unable to kill it. " Next time there would be no mercy. He looked round fiercely, daring them to contradict (Lord 31)." He was unable to kill the pig the first time, but he would not let it get away next time.

Literary Devices:

Personification is the attribution of human nature or character to animals or objects. It can be used to describe something by using human traits. "Clouds of birds rose from the tree-tops and something squealed and ran in the undergrowth(Lord 17)." Since Ralph blows into the conch, he has caused birds to rise from the trees. The word "clouds" is used to describe what the flock of birds look like. A simile is a figure of speech in which two unlike things are compared. The two things used can be a discription word or a human behavior. "Sleep enveloped him like the swathing mirages that were wrestling with the brilliance of the lagoon (Lord 14)." The quote uses the word "like" and compares sleep to swathing mirages which indicates that this sentence a simile.

Foreshadowing is to show or indicate an event before it occurs. It is when the author uses quotations or phrases to show hints that may come at a later point in the story. "The choir belongs to you, of course (Lord 23)." This quote may show that the choir leader, Jack, will take his position too far. At some point later in the story, he may disobey the leader of the whole group, Ralph, and find himself in trouble.

Important Quotes:

"I don't care what they call me", he said confidentially, "so long as they don't call me what they used to call me at school(Lord 11)." "You're no good on a job like this(Lord 24)."

"He was tall, thin, and bony; and his hair was red beneath the black cap. His face was crumpled and freckled, and ugly without silliness(Lord 20)."

Media:

The pictures included are smoke coming from a fire and a word chart showing the most used words in the novel. The word chart is included because the largest words can also represent a important symbol in the story. For example, fire is a larger word because is a lifeline for the boys on the island. The picture of smoke is included because it can help the boys get off of the island. It would be used as a signal so ships, aircraft, or any other type of transportation  would know that they were there, and come to rescue them.

Works Cited: Golding, William. The Lord Of The Flies. New York: Penguin group 1954: Print