Lord of the Flies by William Golding revolves around the story of a group of British schoolboys

castaway on a deserted island via a plane crash. No adult survived. It seems that the boys were
transported to a safer destination (due to a nuclear war back in their homes). Two boys (Ralph and
Piggy) found a conch (a shell) and Ralph blew it to call the other boys who were with them on the
plane. Many boys gathered (this is considered as their first meeting). Among these boys was a choir
leader called Jack (the twins Sam and Eric, Simon and Roger are among them). The boys elected
Ralph as a chief. He kept Jack as the head of choir-hunter-army. Ralph, Jack and Simon explored the
island. When they returned, a second meeting was held and a fire was built as a signal for passing
ships (to get them rescued). They used Piggys glasses to start it. However, the fire got out of control
and a boy was lost.

After this incident the boys life on the island was marked by routine from sunrise to sunset. One
day, a ship passed near the island, but it did not see the signal fire. Jacks choir/hunters were
supposed to guard the fire but they were busy hunting a pig. Antagonism rose among the boys. Jack
hit Piggy and one side of his glasses was smashed. The fire was re-lighted and the pig roasted and
eaten. Ralph called an assembly after which he wished for a sign from the adult world. His wish was
fulfilled that very night: A dead parachutist fell on the island after an air battle above it (the boys did
not notice the fallen parachutist). Later, Sam and Eric saw the body in the darkness and mistook it as
a beast. The other boys became frightened when they heard the news. Ralph decided that they have
to search for the beasts hiding place. Ralph, Jack and the hunters went to the only undiscovered
place on the island: the tip tail part. They found nothing there but a castle rock. They also checked
the mountain top at night (they did not wait for daylight to have a clear view). The parachutist was
entangled in the strings of his parachute. The blows of the wind gave it a life-like movement. All of
the boys ran back to their shelters on the beach. They confirmed to the other boys that the beast
existed . Jack revealed his desire to be chief instead of Ralph. When no one supported him, he left
the group. However, most of the hunters joined him later and made castle rock (the tip tail part of
the island they discovered earlier when they were looking for the beast) as their hiding place. The
tribe (Jack and his hunters) killed a sow and placed its head on a stick as a gift for the beast. When
they left, Simon had a conversation with the head of the sow as Lord of the Flies. He fainted. When
he woke up, he went to the mountain top to discover that the beast was a dead parachutist. He ran
to the others to tell them. At this time Jacks tribe (the hunters and all of the boys who abandoned
the main group of Ralph) are having a feast. Ralph and Piggy joined the feast. It was getting dark and
a storm was coming. When the boys reached a dancing frenzy, with the thunder and lightning
heightening the atmosphere of fear, Simon got out of the forest running. He was mistaken as the
beast and killed.

One night, Jack and the other hunters stole piggys glasses. The next day, Ralph, Piggy and the twins
headed to castle rock to get Piggys glasses back and to remind Jacks tribe about the importance of
the fire signal. Ralph and Jack were engaged in a fight. The twins, the last of Ralphs supporters,
apart from Piggy, were captured. Piggy shouted which was better to hunt or to be rescued upon
which sentence Roger pushed a rock that killed him and smashed the conch he was holding.

Ralph ran and hid. He came back near castle rock and found the twins guarding its entry. They
warned Ralph that he would be hunted like a pig the next day. Jack and the hunters in the next day
set the island on fire to smoke Ralph out. He ran to the beach and found a Navy officer standing
there. His cruiser spotted the island on fire. Ralph at this point wept for the end of innocence, the
darkness of mans heart, and the fall through the air of the true wise friend called Piggy (Golding,
LF, 202). The other boys started to cry too. The Navy officer looked away to his cruiser in the
distance.

Bibliography:

Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. Ed. E. L. Epstein. New York: The Barkley Publishing, 1954.
Print
Lord of the Flies. Dir. Peter Brook. Perf.James Aubrey, Tom Chapin, Hugh Edwards. The
Criterion Collection.1963. DVD. Also https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipA_645fKNc
Lord of the Flies. Dir. Harry Hook. Perf. Balthazar Getty, Chris Furrh, Danuel Pipoly. MGM
Home Entertainment, 1990. DVD. Also https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIuHyduImtE
Video SparkNotes: William Golding's Lord of the Flies summary. You Tube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tXpA3dIEtI