Lord of the Flies Chapter 2

Chapter Presentation
Chapter 2 Fire on the Mountain
What happens?

Characters
Ralph Jack Piggy
Setting
-Starts at platform by the lagoon
-Platform on calm side of mountain
-Heads to top of mountain (hill)

Plot
-Ralph calls a meeting to report back what they have found: they make rules
-Small boy speaks about being frightened of a beastie or snake-thing
-Ralph says is doesn’t exist, Jack says they will hunt it
-Ralph talks about rescue and building a fire on top of the hill.
-They build a pile of wood, no matches, Jack uses Piggy’s glasses
-The fire gets out of control, Piggy expresses how foolish they are
-The little boy with the birthmark is missing

Themes
-Civilization vs. Savagery
-Organization vs. Destruction
-Hunger for power vs. incapacity
-Darkness in Jack # Desire

Conflicts
-Keeping fire going
-Argument between Piggy and Jack
-They learn about the beast

Symbolism
-Smoke
-Fire
-Piggy’s glasses
-The conch
-Beast

Interesting dialogue and language
Ralph laughed, and the other boys laughed with him.
The small boy twisted further into himself.
"Tell us about the snake-thing."
"Now he says it was a beastie."
"Beastie?"
"A snake-thing. Ever so big. He saw it."
"Where?'
"In the woods."
[…]
"He says the beastie came in the dark." (P, 46-47

"A fire! Make a fire!"
At once half the boys were on their feet. Jack clamored among them, the conch forgotten.
"Come on! Follow me!"
The space under the palm trees was full of noise and movement. Ralph was on his feet too, shouting for quiet, but no one heard him. All at once the crowd swayed toward the island and was gone—following Jack. (P, 49)

Jack pointed suddenly.
“His specs – use them as burning glasses!”
Piggy was surrounded before he could back away (P, 52)

“Then, with the martyred expression of a parent who has to keep up with the senseless ebullience of the children, he picked up the conch, turned toward the forest, and began to pick his way over the tumbled scar”(P, 50)

Questions/Comments
Savagery arises when civilization stops suppressing the beast: It's the beast unleashed. Savages not only acknowledge the beast, they thrive on it and worship it like a god
Civilization forces people to hide from their darkest impulses, to suppress them.

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