You learned that this story takes place on a small boat shaped island in the South Pacific during a war, which some believe is World War II. The characters think that an atomic bomb may have gone off and that they are some of the few remaining people left on Earth.

It is extremely hot and sunny. There is a lagoon, a jungle, and a rock formation which may be an inactive volcano or a mountain. At another spot on the island there is a rock ledge. The boys know they cannot build a raft and escape because the entire island is surrounded by reefs of rock and coral. The island has fruit, water, and wild boar (pigs) for hunting. Palm trees are all along the beach.

The boys believe that the island is uninhabited, except for a few of the younger boys, called “littl'uns” who believe there is a beast on the island. (They call the beast “beastie.”) While the boys are initially excited at the idea of not having any adults around, they are also quick to realize that they want to be rescued, so they decide to build a signal fire to alert any ships that might pass by the island.  However, the creation of a signal fire does not happen as easily as they expect.

 

After finishing Chapter Two, it is easy to see that, in their mad rush to start a fire, the boys were not thinking clearly. The fire they set on top of the mountain goes out much too quickly. Then, they set trees on fire which causes a boy to become missing. They will continue to make rushed decisions as the novel progresses.  As you continue reading, pay attention for other decisions that were not made after a thoughtful process.

Allusions

In Chapter Two of the book, the boys make three allusions. An allusion is a reference to a person, place, thing, history, or another work of literature. In this case, the boys call out names of books that they are familiar with to describe what they think life on a deserted island is going to be like. In this interactivity, click on the markers or use the previous and next buttons to learn more about each of the novels that were alluded to by author William Golding. Click the player button to get started.

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In both Chapters Two and Three, the boys begin mentioning some of their fears.  There is talk of “snake-like” animals as well as a beast (beastie).  While the discussion is mainly started by the younger kids, it is clear that this topic is alarming to everyone.  What is it about the fear of the unknown that can scare people so much? 

While there is a possibility that the boys have actually seen something that scares them, it is much more likely that their imaginations are in overdrive.  It is a natural human reaction when fear is present.  Think about little kids who have nightmares.  To whom do they run?  They go to their parents or caregivers for comfort.  These boys have no one around to comfort them, and their fears continue to grow as they spend time on the island.

 

Lord of the Flies, Chapters Two and Three Review

In this non-graded interactivity, each sentence is missing one word. Use your knowledge of Chapters Two and Three of Lord of the Flies to fill in the missing word. Enter this word in the blank space provided and click SUBMIT to check your answer. Click the player button to get started.