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Plane Crashes on an Island
During a war, a group of British schoolboys are being flown across the Pacific Ocean when their plane is shot down. In the crash, the pilot is killed but most of the boys survive. Here they are left alone on a deserted island without any adult supervision. -
A Conch Shell is Found by Ralph and Piggy
While Ralph and Piggy, two of the main characters, are walking on the beach they find a conch shell in the sand. Ralph blows into this shell to find the other boys on the island. At each meeting, whoever holds the conch has the right to speak. This shell is a symbol of civilization and order on the island. -
The Boys Elect a Leader
After blowing in the conch, all of the other boys come to where Ralph and Piggy are. Among these boys, there is a group of choir boys who are led by a boy named Jack. The boys decide that they need to elect a leader, and Ralph and Jack are the two candidates. While the choir boys all vote for Jack, everyone else votes for Ralph, who ends up becoming leader. Ralph then dubs the choir boys and Jack as hunters. -
A Boy in the Group Sees a "Beast"
While the boys are gathered at one of their meetings, a smaller boy tells the group that he saw a snake like beast. The thought that a monster might be on the island scares the boys, but the older ones tell the group that there is no monster. Later on in the book, one of the boys (Simon) realizes that this monster is not real and is inside of the boys. -
Ralph and Jack Get into an Argument
While Ralph is trying to build huts for the boy to sleep in, Jack and the hunters come back from a hunt. Ralph tells Jack that him & the hunters are using their hunting duties to avoid real work. The two continue to fight with each other, and as the book goes on they become more hostile towards each other. -
Jack Breaks Piggy's Glasses
After Jack and the hunters come back from a hunt, Piggy gets upset over their immaturity. Jack slaps Piggy in the face, breaking one of the lenses in his glasses. The broken lense is used all throughout the book to light fires that are used for food and signals. Towards the end, Jack's group steals the lense from Ralph's group, which took away the ability to make fire. -
The Hunt for the Beast Begins
After the topic of the beast comes up again in one of the group meetings, chaos reigns in the group of boys. Jack proceeds to tell the group that if a beast does live on the island, him and his hunters will kill it. -
A Dead Parachutist Falls to the Island
During a battle between planes above the island, a parachutist is killed and lands on the island. Two of the boys, Sam and Eric, are tending to a fire when they see the form of the dead parachutist. They mistake the parachute for the beast and they run back to camp. Ralph calls a meeting and an expedition to search for the beast is immediately organized. -
The Group Splits Up
The news of the beast has the group of boys in chaos. Jack says that there is a beast on the mountain and it needs to be killed. He calls Ralph a coward and tells the boys that Ralph needs to removed from leadership. The other boys do not want Ralph out of power. Angry, Jack says that he is leaving and anyone that wants to can join him. -
Simon Meets the Lord of the Flies
While the other boys are on the beach, Simon slips away into the forest. Earlier, Jack and the hunters killed a pig and stuck its head on a spear in the ground. Now, Simon comes upon this pig head. He sits mesmerized by the head which is swarming with flies. The Lord of the Flies speaks to Simon and tells him that he will not be able to escape because he (the pig head) lies in all human beings. -
The Death of Simon
Simon comes upon the dead parachutist. Simon untangles the parachute from the rocks to bring back to the group. He realizes that he needs to tell the group that this is the beast and that it is harmless. When he comes to the beach, the boys are having a feast. They see Simon and do not recognize him and start to beat him up. He tries to explain, but the boys tumble on top of him and kill him. -
The End of Piggy
At night, Jack's group comes to where Ralph and Piggy are and steal Piggy's glasses. The next day, they go to confront Jack about the stolen glasses and one of Jack's boys pushes a rock down off the cliff. Ralph dodges it, but Piggy gets hit and falls down the side of the cliff to his death. -
The Boys get Rescued
As Ralph is running away from Jack and his hunters, he finally comes into the open. Up on a cliff, there is a naval officer that greets him. Jack's group runs out of the forest and stops when they see the officer. The officer is surprised by the boys behavior,and wonders how the group let all rules of civilization be lost. The boys are all crying because of how happy they are to be rescued.
