Chapter Summary: Lord Of The Flies

1. When the boys are stranded on the seemingly uncharted island, it becomes evident that a leader among the older boys must come forth and take control of the situation. Our protagonist, Ralph, represents the properly socialized and civilized young man capable of staying calm in the midst of crises. Ralph was raised on the traditional English beliefs of manner and composure, something he uses to assure the younger boys that they will be rescued, and in the meantime they can enjoy themselves on the tropical island. Ralph has the ability to use the conch shell to call all of the survivors together, a symbol of his authority and is the reason why he was elected to become chief of the boys. Ralph understands that the adults do not know what has become of their children’s plane, and he reasons that the only way to determine the ratio of their potential survival is to determine if the island they are currently inhabiting is …show more content…
(a) The conch symbolizes the order and politics that Ralph tries to implicate in the assembly. The shell is what remains of civilization on the island. (b) The removal of clothing symbolizes the child-like excitement of being able to play and have fun without any adults telling the boy’s what to do. Ralph sheds his clothes eagerly to go swimming, seeing their predicament initially as an exciting adventure without grownups. (c) Piggy is reluctant to join Ralph in removing his clothing because he does not see the island as a thrilling adventure, but instead he longs to return home to the comforts of organized society. Removing his clothing to run about and swim is not a normal function performed by Englishmen, and Piggy considers himself an intellectual Englishman. (d) When Ralph stands on his head he is engaging is childish play. He does this a few times throughout the novel as a way of communicating his excitement in a way that words would not suffice. This symbolizes that Ralph sees his surroundings only through his childish