Lord of the Flies Review: Chapter Summary & Analysis

Chapter 10-12 Lord of the Flies Review: Chapter 7 Overview: Chapter 7 explores the boys’ deepening descent into savagery and the inner psychological changes they undergo. Ralph especially undergoes significant inner conflict—longing for civilization while being drawn into primal instincts. Key...

Chapter 10-12 Lord of the Flies Review: Chapter 7 Overview: Chapter 7 explores the boys’ deepening descent into savagery and the inner psychological changes they undergo. Ralph especially undergoes significant inner conflict—longing for civilization while being drawn into primal instincts. Key Points: Ralph’s Longing for Civilization: ○ Ralph wishes for cleanliness and grooming—soap, scissors, toothpaste, etc. ○ He notices how filthy and wild everyone has become. ○ Despite this, he realizes with unease that he’s gotten used to the dirt and disorder. Loss of Hope: ○ At Castle Rock, the vast ocean crushes Ralph’s hope for rescue. ○ Simon tries to comfort him with a prophetic statement: “You’ll get back all right.” Daydream and Memory: ○ Ralph daydreams about his peaceful home life—books, snow, ponies, and safety with family. ○ The comfort of civilization is sharply contrasted with the brutal island reality. Ralph’s First Taste of Hunting: ○ A boar charges; Ralph throws a spear and hits it.  ○ He feels pride, fear, and the thrill of violence—he begins to enjoy hunting. ○ He boasts and seeks admiration from the others. The Hunting Reenactment Turns Violent: ○ The boys violently reenact the hunt, using Robert as the “pig.” ○ The play escalates into near-real violence: Robert is hurt and terrified. ○ Even Ralph joins in, overtaken by a desire to hurt—showing savagery creeping into him. Moral Conflict and Leadership Tensions: ○ Ralph reflects on leadership and morality—worries about Piggy and the littluns. ○ Simon volunteers to go back alone, showing courage and selflessness. ○ Ralph directly confronts Jack, asking: “Why do you hate me?” ○ The rivalry for leadership intensifies. Climb to the Mountain: ○ Jack, Ralph, and Roger decide to climb the mountain in the dark to find the “beast.” ○ There is strong fear of the unknown; the dark is oppressive and blinding. ○ Jack claims to have seen something—his fear shows for the first time. ○ At the summit, they misinterpret the dead parachutist as a terrifying creature. ○ All three flee in terror, convinced the beast is real. Chapter 8 Key Points Summary Ralph sees the beast and loses hope, believing they can no longer keep the signal fire going. Piggy is shocked but suggests staying near the shelters for safety. Ralph insults Jack’s hunters, calling them "boys with sticks," which enrages Jack. Jack tries to overthrow Ralph but fails; humiliated, he leaves to form his own tribe. Piggy gains confidence after Jack leaves and suggests moving the fire to the beach — a bold idea. Many biguns join Jack, attracted by meat and freedom. Jack and his tribe kill a sow savagely, smearing themselves with blood and placing the pig’s head on a stick as a sacrifice to the beast. Simon witnesses the killing, symbolizing his spiritual and moral awakening. The pig’s head (“Lord of the Flies”) speaks to Simon in a hallucination, revealing the beast is within the boys themselves. Simon has a seizure after this vision, marking a symbolic descent into the "Belly of the Whale" (a mythic journey inward). Jack raids Ralph’s camp for fire and invites everyone to a feast.  Ralph struggles with fear and self-doubt, worried about losing his grip on civilization. Piggy tries to support Ralph, emphasizing reason and rescue. Ralph gives a weak speech about the importance of the fire but is losing influence. Boys betray Ralph and go to Jack’s feast, driven by hunger. Simon is left alone, having uncovered the truth about the beast — it’s the darkness inside them all. Chapter 9 Key Points Summary – Chapter 9: A View to a Death Tension The storm builds as a metaphor for rising tension and violence. The heat and oppressive atmosphere mirror the boys’ descent into savagery: “the air was ready to explode.” Simon’s Transformation Simon lies near the pig’s head (the “Lord of the Flies”) surrounded by flies and blood. He wakes from a seizure, determined to confront the truth: “What else is there to do?” Simon finds the dead parachutist (the supposed “beast”) and sees it's just a human corpse. He vomits, then frees the body from its tangled ropes to give it peace. Realizing “The beast was harmless and horrible,” he hurries to tell the others the truth. At Jack’s Feast  Ralph and Piggy, driven by hunger, go to Jack’s feast. The boys feast and laugh, led by Jack, who acts like a tyrant king on his “throne.” Jack offers meat and protection from the beast to lure boys into his tribe. Ralph tries to assert democracy, but Jack dismisses the conch’s power. Mob Mentality & Simon’s Death The storm breaks; the boys dance and chant wildly: “Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!” Simon stumbles into the circle, trying to tell them about the dead parachutist. The boys mistake Simon for the beast and violently kill him in a frenzied mob attack. Pathetic fallacy: Rain pours down during the murder, symbolizing chaos and cleansing. Simon's death marks the loss of innocence and a point of no return for the boys. In the novel: Simon discovers the truth about the “beast” — that it’s actually the dead parachutist, a symbol of human fear and darkness. On his way back to share this knowledge with the others, Simon is weak, physically and mentally exhausted. He stumbles into the middle of the tribe’s savage ritual, where the boys are caught up in a frenzied dance. They mistake him for the beast and kill him violently. Why “belly of the whale”?  The phrase suggests a journey into darkness, death, and transformation. Like Jonah, Simon enters a dark, enclosed space (symbolically, the chaotic, primal “belly” of the tribe’s savagery). This descent represents a kind of death to innocence and the confrontation with humanity’s darkest nature. Simon’s death marks the loss of insight and goodness on the island, but also his symbolic role as a Christ-like figure who sacrifices himself for the truth. Simon's "Funeral" After the storm, nature honors Simon: the sea carries his body gently away. His body is surrounded by glowing sea creatures and bathed in silver light. Symbolically, Simon is given a peaceful, almost spiritual farewell, suggesting his purity and transcendence