Chapter summaries
- Chapter 1 – The Sound of the Shell
- Chapter 2 – Fire on the Mountain
- Chapter 3 – Huts on the Beach
- Chapter 4 – Painted Faces and Long Hair
- Chapter 5 – Beast from Water
- Chapter 6 – Beast from Air
- Chapter 7 – Shadows and Tall Trees
- Chapter 8 – Gift for the Darkness
- Chapter 9 – A View to a Death
- Chapter 10 – The Shell and the Glasses
- Chapter 11 – Castle Rock
- Chapter 12 – Cry of the Hunters
Chapter 1 – The Sound of the Shell
Two boys meet in a jungle where their plane crashed in during a storm. It seems that a large group of British boys were being evacuated during World War III. The two boys find a large conch shell on the beach. Piggy, who is overweight and who has asthma, encourages the taller boy, Ralph, to blow through the shell to summon the other boys on the island.
At the meeting, it becomes clear that none of the boys know each other, except for a group of choirboys led by a boy called Jack, who challenges Ralph’s authority. They establish a system where only the person holding the conch shell is allowed to speak. Ralph calls a vote, and the group elects him as their leader. He gives Jack authority over the choir, who will be hunters.
Ralph, Jack, and a smaller boy called Simon set out to explore. They climb the nearby mountain and discover they are on an island. On the way back down, they come across a trapped piglet. Jack is about to kill it but changes his mind. The pig escapes, and Jack promises he will kill the next pig he finds.
Chapter 2 – Fire on the Mountain
Ralph calls another meeting to tell the other boys what they learned about the island. Everyone is encouraged, but a little boy claims he saw a snake-like “beastie.” The older boys say there’s no such thing.
Ralph suggests that they should make a fire to attract the attention of passing ships. The boys are excited and rush up the mountain to create a large pile of wood. They use Piggy’s glasses to light the wood, and it burns brightly for a short time before going out. Jack suggests that in the future his hunters will watch the fire and make sure it does not go out.
Suddenly the boys notice that they have accidentally set fire to the surrounding jungle. A huge uncontrollable fire starts, and they realize that one of the smaller boys has died in it.
Chapter 3 – Huts on the Beach
Jack follows the tracks of the jungle pigs befor...