2.7.1
Shadows & Tall Trees
A New Hunt
A New Hunt
The boys spot fresh pig poo and soon come across a wild boar which they attempt to kill but it gets away.
Wild boys
Wild boys
- Ralph looks at the boys and realises how wild they look.
- Their hair is wild and their skin is dirty.
- “He would like to have a pair of scissors and cut this hair”.
The dangerous side
The dangerous side
- He goes down to the water and notices that this side of the island seems wilder and more dangerous than the other side.
- There are no reefs or calm pools of water.
- This observation could foreshadow Jack taking control and creating a base on Castle Rock later on.
- This side of the island is dangerous, just like Jack.
Fresh tracks
Fresh tracks
- Roger calls Ralph and Jack over to show them that he has found fresh pig poo.
- Excited by the idea of another hunt, Jack tells Ralph that they will be able to eat meat again.
- Noticing that the pig tracks lead towards the signal fire, Ralph allows Jack to lead the hunt.
The hunt
The hunt
- Ralph starts daydreaming about his home back in England.
- Suddenly, Ralph hears boys screaming and something running through the bushes.
- Jack falls over and a wild boar runs at him.
- Ralph throws a spear at the boar. It hits the boar in the nose and the creature runs away.
Escape
Escape
- Although the boar escapes, Ralph is proud that he managed to hit it with a spear and begins to think more positively about hunting.
- He likes it now that he feels he is good at it and has earned some respect from the other boys.
- Jack, who had run off after the wild boar, returns and shows the boys a wound that the boar made on his arm with its tusks.
A Game Almost Goes Too Far
A Game Almost Goes Too Far
Robert pretends to be the wild boar and the other boys start stabbing him with their spears. They do not stop even when they are hurting him.
The game
The game
- Ralph describes his attack of the wild boar once more.
- One of the other boys, Robert, pretends to be the wild boar and the boys all start poking him with their spears.
- Robert yells in pain (“Stop it! You’re hurting!”) but the boys do not stop.
“Kill him! Kill him!”
“Kill him! Kill him!”
- The boys are too excited about attacking and are blinded by the image of their spears hitting flesh.
- They chant “Kill him! Kill him!”
- The boys grab Robert’s hair and Jack pulls out his knife.
Fun?
Fun?
- Jack pretends to kill the wild boar (Robert) and the game stops.
- Jack says that their game was fun.
- Robert cries but pretends to agree.
- Ralph uncomfortably agrees that the game was fun.
“Use a littleun”
“Use a littleun”
- Roger says that the game would have been better if they had a real pig because the boys want to kill something, but Jack makes a joke that they could “use a littlun”.
- The boys laugh.
The sense of evil
The sense of evil
- The violence and sense of evil is increasing.
- The boys laugh at Jack’s suggestion of killing one of the littleuns.
- Even Ralph is participating in these games and is losing his civility.
Hunting the Beast
Hunting the Beast
Although it is getting dark, Ralph and Jack decide to hunt the beast.
Piggy
Piggy
- Ralph also wants to send one of the boys to help Piggy.
- Jack hates the way Ralph is so protective of Piggy.
- He sneers at Ralph: “We mustn’t let anything happen to Piggy, must we?”
Jack's hatred
Jack's hatred
- Jack’s hatred of Piggy becomes more and more alarming.
- He seems to single him out and bullies him mercilessly throughout the story.
- Simon volunteers to go back and get Piggy.
Climbing the mountain
Climbing the mountain
- Jack wants to go to the mountain top and, although Ralph initially thinks it is getting too dark, he goes with Jack. Roger goes with them.
- The three boys climb up the mountain, past the burnt area (from when the signal fire got out of control).
- They stop mid-way and Ralph says they need to come back in the morning because they need the light to be able to see the beast properly.
Jack and the monster
Jack and the monster
- Jack tries to argue but ends up going to the top alone, while Ralph and Roger wait for him.
- When Jack returns, he is terrified of what he has seen: “a thing at the top” of the mountain.
- Ralph decides that the three of them should go back to the mountain top and get a better look at whatever Jack had seen.
The creature
The creature
- At the top of the mountain, they see a dark shadow.
- As the moonlight highlights the shadow, they see a disfigured face that moves as the wind pulls on the parachute: “the creature lifted its head, holding toward them the ruin of a face”.
- They do not realise that the face belongs to a dead man, they just recognise that there is a head moving.
- Terrified, they run down the mountain.
1Context
2Story Analysis
2.2Chapter 2
2.3Chapter 3
2.4Chapter 4
2.6Chapter 6
2.7Chapter 7
2.9Chapter 9
2.10Chapter 10
2.11Chapter 11
2.12Chapter 12
3Key Characters
4Key Concepts
5Writing Techniques
Jump to other topics
1Context
2Story Analysis
2.2Chapter 2
2.3Chapter 3
2.4Chapter 4
2.6Chapter 6
2.7Chapter 7
2.9Chapter 9
2.10Chapter 10
2.11Chapter 11
2.12Chapter 12
3Key Characters
4Key Concepts
5Writing Techniques
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