Lord of the Flies, Chapters Eight and Nine

The idea that a “beast” is present with the boys on the island is an ever growing concern.  In Chapter Seven, Jack, Roger, and Ralph all claim to have spotted the “beast.”  You know that what these boys, and Sam and Eric have seen is the dead parachutist who landed on their island late at night.  However, what these boys describe to the other boys back at the camp in the beginning of Chapter Eight is much different than what they actually saw.  Why do you suppose they fabricate their story?  The fact that it was night probably contributed to their description, since most people tend to be more fearful of things when it is dark.  Another contributing factor is that the boys have been building up this fear and this idea of a "beast" for weeks or even months, and their minds simply are not ready for a logical explanation.

The most prominent example of the changing behavior of the boys is the separation of them from one large group into two separate groups.  This split is not too surprising though, as there have been problems and power struggles between Ralph and Jack since the very first meeting when Ralph was elected chief.  Although Jack takes off alone initially, it does not take long before Bill and Roger, the hunters, join his group. Not long after this split, Golding provides a very descriptive and violent image of the boys killing the sow and the offering they leave for the beast.  Do you think any single boy could have played a role in such extreme violence without the benefit of being a part of Jack’s group?  It is not likely.  Their roles as part of the group are causing them to become increasingly violent. Think about how this event helps contribute to some of the themes you examined in earlier topics.

As Chapter Eight closes, you witness an interesting and somewhat confusing scene between Simon and the offering Jack and his hunters made to the beast:  the sow’s head on a stick.  Simon has always been “a little batty.” This is a term used by the boys to describe the behaviors they do not understand.  What this means, though, is that Simon is different from them, and as young boys who are unable to understand this difference, they just label him and are content with that.  Remember, Simon wanted to climb the mountain to see the “beast” for himself.  Even if his behavior is sometimes odd, it is clear he does not believe in the monster-like creature the boys describe. 

The first line of Chapter Nine provides foreshadowing for the events to come:  “Over the island the build-up of clouds continued.”  The reader can tell a storm is coming, and authors frequently use bad weather to create an ominous mood in a story.  As you were reading Chapter Nine, you probably felt the suspense building up until the end when Simon was killed.  Remember, Simon had seen that the “beastie” was only a dead parachutist. Because he landed at night and his parachute warped and twisted in the wind, the parachuist looked different. As Simon was coming down to inform the other boys, he was killed. Because the boys were completely caught up in their chant and still excited from killing the pig, things got completely out of control. This is yet another example of the boys acting differently in a group than they ever would have acted on their own.

 

Individual or Group

Think about the following events from Chapters Eight and Nine and decide if the action was something a boy did on his own or if he participated because he was caught up in a group's actions.  In this non-graded interactivity, read each statement from Lord of the Flies and decide whether it represents an individual or a group action. To check your answer click SUBMIT. Click the player button to get started.