Chapter 1 Flashcards
-At the start of the novel, we are introduced to our two main characters: Ralph and Piggy.
-In the first line, Ralph is described as ‘the boy with fair hair’.
-The adjective ‘fair’ may have an alternative meaning here.
-Ralph is identified as the boy who will try to be fair and treat everyone equally.
-The two boys emerge at the edge of the island and discuss what has happened: their plane has crashed onto the island.
-They discover that there are no adults on the island.
-Ralph and Piggy notice the damage caused by the plane crash - there is a big burned ‘scar’ on the ground and a tree trunk has been damaged.
-Piggy says that the plane had been attacked and had crashed and had crashed. Then the plane’s cabin had hit the island (causing a ‘scar’ on the land), before being dragged out to sea.
-This exchange shows how the beautiful island has been damaged and scarred due to the actions of humans - the first time in the novel that the evil nature of humans hurts something innocent.
-Piggy coaxes Ralph to ask for his name, but Ralph does not seem to care.
-It is not until Piggy says that he doesn’t care what people call him as long as they don’t use the nickname he was given in school (‘Piggy’) that Ralph pays attention.
-Despite Piggy’s wishes, Ralph starts laughing and repeating ‘Piggy’ over and over again.
-This interaction immediately shows Ralph’s uncaring, nasty attitude towards others.
-In his first conversation with Piggy, he deliberately humiliates him.
-Ralph runs into the water to swim and Piggy reluctantly follows.
-We learn that Piggy has ‘asthma’ and does not know how to swim.
-This adds to the suggested vulnerability of Piggy.
-Ralph reveals that his dad is a commander in the Navy.
-Piggy’s parents are both dead. He lived with his aunt for a while and then he lived at school.
-Piggy and Ralph are immediately shown to be very different characters.
-The differences between them cause friction later in the story.
-Ralph is convinced that his father will come and save them from the island.
-Piggy tells him that the plane pilot had said that an atom bomb had been dropped and everyone at home was dead.
-He says that the evacuated school boys from England will die on the island, as no one knows where they are.
-Piggy suggests that he and Ralph should explore the island to find any other survivors.
-Ralph smiles and Piggy thinks that Ralph appreciates his ideas and recognizes his intelligence.
-However, Ralph is smiling because he thinks that he can be the boss of the island. He craves power.
-Ralph sees something in the water - ‘a shell’.
-They get the shell out of the water.
-Piggy tells Ralph it’s a conch shell and tells Ralph to blow into it to summon the other boys to their location.
-After a few moments after Ralph blows into the conch shell, more children begin to appear from the forest.
-Johnny and 3 other boys (around 6 years old)
-Another boys around Piggy’s age
-Eric and Sam (twins)
-A group of choir boys
-All of the boys are 6-12 years old.
-The leader of the choir boys, Jack Merridew, talks to Ralph.
-Jack commands the choir boys to stay in line.
-However, because it is so hot and they have heavy choir robes on, one choir boy (Simon) faints.
-Jack allows the other boys to lift Simon up onto a rock.
-Then he orders them to leave Simon alone because he faints all the time.
-Jack is immediately presented as a character who enjoys having power, and has little sympathy for others.
-Ralph confirms to Jack that there are no adults on the island.
-Piggy tells Jack that Ralph blew into the conch shell to call a meeting and then he begins to talk about the boys.
-Jack dismisses Piggy: ‘You’re talking too much. Shut up, Fatty.’
-Without knowing much about Piggy, Jack’s first conversation with causes Piggy some humiliation (much like Ralph earlier).
-Ralph tells Jack that his name isn’t Fatty; it’s Piggy.
-This causes all of the boys to laugh and start chanting ‘Piggy!’
-It does not take very long for the boys to start victimizing Piggy because he is different to them.
-These initial interactions between Piggy, Ralph and Jack all show a nasty, unfair side of society: people harshly judging others for their appearance or the way they come across.
-Jack says that they need to come up with a plan to be rescued.
-It is Ralph who says: ‘We ought to have a chief to decide things’.
-They decide to vote between Jack (who thinks he should be the island chief because he is the choir leader) and Ralph.
-The choir vote for Jack, but everyone else votes for Ralph.
-Ralph is elected as the chief of the island: ‘Every hand outside the choir except Piggy’s was raised immediately’.
-Ralph gives control of the choir to Jack (‘the choir belongs to you, of course’) which makes Jack start to like Ralph.
-Jack decides that he and the choir will be the hunters - he allows them to remove their robes.
-Ralph and Jack decide to explore the island.
-Piggy wants to join them but is rejected (‘We don’t want you’).
-Instead, they take a boy named Simon.
-Jack reveals that he has a knife on his belt.
-Ralph, Jack and Simon head off to explore the island.
-They follow an animal track and come to a huge boulder, blocking their path.
-Together, they push the boulder out of their way and stand on top of the mountain.
-This could symbolize them exerting their power over nature.
-As they stand on top of the island, the boys are able to see that they really are on an island.
-There are no villages, smoke or other civilizations on the island.
-The boys are excited at the idea that they can be the leaders of their own island and that they have plenty of food and water to sustain them.
-Walking back down the mountain, the boys see a wild pig tangled in vines.
-Jack pulls out his knife but pauses too long at the idea of killing a living creature. (‘They knew very well why he hadn’t: because of the enormity of the knife descending and cutting into living flesh; because of the unbearable blood’.)
-The pig escapes.
-Jack feels ashamed that he hesitated.
-He promises Ralph that he will kill the next time he has an opportunity.
