During a nuclear war, a plane carrying British schoolboys crashes on a tropical island. There are no adults. Ralph, the fair-haired boy, is elected leader; Piggy, an intelligent, asthmatic boy with glasses, advises him. The boys use a conch to call meetings.
Jack Merridew, leader of the choirboys, wants to hunt. Ralph insists on keeping a signal fire so a passing ship will rescue them. Tension grows.
Fear of a beast grows through rumour and mistaken perception. Simon recognises the dead parachutist on the mountain and tries to bring the news, but the gathered boys kill him in a storm-time frenzy. Ralph and Piggy later struggle with their involvement.
Jack establishes a separate faction and his group steals Piggy’s glasses. At Castle Rock, Roger releases the rock that kills Piggy and shatters the conch. Distinguish Roger’s direct action from Jack’s wider coercive authority.
Ralph is hunted; Jack's tribe sets fire to the island to smoke him out. A naval officer arrives, and the boys, ashamed, weep. The officer's rescue is ironic: he too is engaged in war.
An object gains agreed authority
Characters
Ralph seeks rescue and shared order but is not free from cruelty or complicity. Jack builds power through hunting and fear; Piggy argues for reason while suffering exclusion. Simon’s care and insight contrast with the group’s violence. Roger tests restraints and becomes increasingly dangerous. The younger children and the coerced twins reveal vulnerability within these competing systems.
Separate actions and responsibility
Context
First published in 1954; the early draft was completed in 1952 before later revision. Golding served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War. Nuclear-age anxieties and the contrast with The Coral Island support contextual analysis. Original sin is one theological lens for human fallibility; the novel’s adult war prevents a simple division between innocent civilisation and violent children.
Rescue as a continuing priority
幻灯片
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