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... , particularly those of the little ones, and Piggy joins in his efforts. Jack, however, rudely interrupts, talks about beasts, and fans the flames of fright. Simon tries to explain that the only beast present amongst them is the beast in their hearts, but the boys only laugh at him. As the darkness spreads, their fears grow more intense and they tell monster stories. Before long, the whole group, gripped by fear, is out of control. The meeting turns chaotic with everyone shouting at once, and Ralph fails to regain control.
He realizes that the group is fearfully close to losing its sanity, and he is helpless in preventing it. Led by Jack, the boys run away from the meeting. Only Ralph, Simon, and Piggy are left. Piggy suggests that the leader blow on the conch to call the boys back. Ralph, however, fears the call will be ignored; therefore, he does not even try. Frustrated and depressed over his lack of success in controlling the meeting, Ralph considers resigning from his position as chief.
Piggy and Simon, however, convince him that he needs to retain authority in order to have any hope. The chapter ends, however, in the still darkness of night, broken only by the cries of the little ones. Notes This chapter opens with the rational Ralph attempting to bring some order out of the chaos of the hunters dancing around the fire. Still their leader, he calls a meeting, which quickly gets out of hand. Their community is breaking up, and Ralph is not powerful enough to overcome the problems and fear.
The meeting finally ends in total chaos with Jack leaving the group and taking the other boys with him. Only Simon and Piggy stay behind to support Ralph. These rational ones wish for a sign from civilization, a contact with the adult world. Ralph's appeal to rule and reason in the meeting is a direct contrast to Jack's appeal to emotion, imagination, and disorder, as witnessed in the hunter's wild dance. And the conflict of the hopeful and rational, symbolized by Ralph, and the fearful and irrational, symbolized by Jack, comes to a head in the chapter. It is obvious that the fearful, irrational side wins, for the boys all follow Jack out of the meeting, with the exception of Piggy, who is also rational, and Simon, who is a Christ-like visionary.
Ralph tells his friends that he wants to stop being chief; he is totally frustrated with his lack of control over the irrational elements in the group. He now understands more about human nature and knows he cannot bring the boys back to a sense of order or civilization. "The understandable and lawful world was slipping away. " Most of the chapter is taken up with a discussion of the 'beast' (a symbol for the devil). The boys think up places where the beast could be found. One possibility is in the forest; someone else mentions a beast coming from the water like a giant squid, thus giving the title to the chapter. In fact, the boys think that the mirages caused by the ocean are really monsters. The debate rages as to whether there really are beasts.
The shy Simon hesitantly says that the beast does exist, but only within each person. (Ironically, Simon will be destroyed by the boys who think he is the beast). In these beastly discussions, Golding is foreshadowing the fact that the beast will indeed be found to exist in all the boys, except for the three (Ralph, Piggy, and Simon, who are referred to as the three blind mice) who did not follow Jack. Sadly and ironically, both Piggy and Simon will be killed by the others. The physical image of dirt continues to be used symbolically in this chapter. Remember that in the last chapter, Jack and his hunters rubbed clay (a type of dirt or earth) on their faces as a mask to hide behind. In this chapter, Ralph appropriately notices how dirty the smaller boys have become.
At the meeting, he warns the "littles" against their filth and scolds them for defecating near the fruit. This physical "dirtiness" is a symbol of internal ugliness, and it no longer plagues just the older boys who have chosen the path of hunting and killing. Even the innocent, little ones are dirty, capable of savagery and evil. At the end of the chapter, they run away with Jack and cry in the darkness. It is significant to note that Chapter 4 ends in a wild, but controlled, state of affairs, with the hunters chanting and dancing around the fire. The end of this chapter indicates further deterioration of the society, for it ends in total chaos as the boys run away from Ralph's meeting to follow Jack; the chaos is followed by the piercing cries of the little ones.
CHAPTER 6 - BEAST FROM THE AIR It is a dark night. Ralph and Simon carry the little ones to the shelter. While everyone is soundly sleeping, two warplanes fight in the sky over the island. A dead parachutist floats down, undetected by the sleeping boys. When he lands on the mountaintop, his parachute gets tangled in the trees. His crumpled body is mostly hidden in his chute, but his head, in ghostly fashion, seems to rise and fall with the wind.
Early the next morning, Sam and Eric, the twins who are in charge of the fire, awake after sleeping through the night instead of tending the flames. When they fan the fire to bring it to life, they see the huddled body of the dead airman reflected in the bright light and hear the eerie flapping of the parachute. They are understandably terrified and mindlessly rush down to the safety of the beach. They shake awake the pleasantly dreaming Ralph and tell him that they have seen the beast. A frightened Ralph calls for a meeting, where the twins give an exaggerated account of the beast and tell how it has attacked them.
The hunters suggest that they arm themselves with their spears, ready to attack the beast. The other boys join the search party, afraid of being left behind on the beach. They decide to leave Piggy with the littles. Before departing, Jack and Ralph argue again as Jack tries to assert his authority over "the hunt", but the crisis quickly passes. Soon, they all set out in search of the beast.
They reach the other side of the island and locate caves that they have never seen before. In spite of his fear, Ralph goes inside to search for the beast. Before long, he has calmed himself and he realizes he is no longer frightened. Not to be outdone by his rival, Jack soon joins Ralph in the cave. The two of them explore the cave and the hill above, and for a brief time they feel a new comradeship in the midst of this unexplored territory. The other boys also forget their fear and start exploring the hill, pushing large rocks into the sea below and rushing around excitedly.
Everyone seems to have forgotten the purpose of their exploration. Ralph grows angry with the frolicking of the boys and reminds them that they must continue to search the rest of the island in order to calm the fears that have run rampant. In addition, the signal fire, abandoned by the twins, must be restarted. The boys mumble about mutiny, but finally obey Ralph's orders and continue the search.
Notes This sixth chapter is appropriately titled "Beast from Air." The beast is literally a dead airman who drops on the island by parachute. But he is the sign from the world of civilization and grown-ups that Ralph and Piggy had wished for. Ironically, the only sign that civilization still exists outside the island comes in the form of a dead man from a dying world that is being destroyed by war. It is a totally negative image.
On a symbolic level, the image becomes less harsh. The dead airman can be viewed as the "fallen man" (sinful man) tangled in the tree of life. His head is light, bobbing up and down with no thought, and his body is crumpled, defeated by life. In fact, Simon imagines the beast as being heroic, but sick; in other words, man is capable of great things, but is destroyed by sin and evil. Simon, the Christ figure, comes to rescue the fallen airman from the mountaintop; he literally "saves" him from entanglement in the tree of life. Because he has saved man, Simon is sacrificed, beaten to death by the other boys who think he is the evil beast Ralph's reasoning is again developed in this chapter.
His rational insistence on the smoke signal again and again is met by derision by the others; but Ralph wisely ignores their laughter. He instinctively realizes that the fire is the only hope for a way back to civilization. There has been one missed opportunity; he does not want to experience another. Ralph also tries to calm the fear of the others over and over again, telling the little ones there are no beasts.
When he hears the twin's report of the beast, even Ralph grows afraid. But he rationally controls his fear and enters the cave alone. Once inside a way from the hysteria of the others, he can again think clearly and conquer his fear, for he knows there are no such things as monsters and there is a logical explanation to the story told by Sam and Eric. The role of Ralph, Simon, and Piggy as caretakers is also developed in this chapter. It is almost an image of the shepherd caring for its sheep, an image that is often ascribed to Christ. Ralph and Simon carry the little ones to bed, much as Christ is portrayed carrying his "lost sheep" (or fallen man).
Ralph is the comforter of the children, constantly trying to alleviate their fears about the beast (a symbol of the devil). When the other boys go in search of the beast, Piggy is left behind to care for the little ones (to protect them from the evil beast). It is significant to note in this chapter that Ralph, the symbol of rational thought and hope for a return to civilization, still retains some small amount of power and authority, and appropriately the conch is still in tact and in his possession. When he calls a meeting to discuss the beast seen by the twins and decide a plan of action, the boys respond and attend. They even listen to his suggestion to search the island. At the cave and hill, the boys revert to their fun and frolic, and Ralph has to once again bring them back to the task at hand.
At the end of the chapter, the boys have listened to him and have agreed to continue their search of the island and to light the signal fire once again. CHAPTER 7 - SHADOWS AND THE TREES The boys continue their search of the island and moves towards the mountaintop. When they stop to eat, Ralph's mind wanders to other things. He observes the boys and again realizes they have become dirty and unkempt, a state of their freedom which he accepts as normal. Ralph then looks at the vast ocean. It seems as if the sea acts like a barrier, preventing their rescue, keeping them from civilization, and condemning them.
Simon joins him and interrupts Ralph's thoughts of home. He tries to calm the leader by assuring him that they will certainly be rescued soon. Later in the day, the hunters are delighted to discover fresh pig droppings. They decide to hunt the pig while searching for the beast. Soon everyone spies the wild boar and wildly gives chase. Ralph joins the madness, excited by the thrill of the adventure, and throws a wooden spear, which hits the boar's snout.
Since it is his first hunt, he is delighted at his accuracy and tries to gain the respect and appreciation of the boys. Jack draws the attention away from Ralph by displaying his bloodied arm, wounded by the tusks of the boar. Although the hunt ends with the wild animal escaping, the boys are still filled with excitement. They have a mock play with Robert at the center representing the pig. Jack, Ralph, and the boys perform a savage dance and jab at Robert with the spears almost injuring him seriously. As Robert struggles to get free, the boys chant frenziedly.
The desire to hunt and draw blood almost overpowers them, but they manage to bring themselves under control. Ralph uneasily reminds everyone that it has only been a game; but the leader now understands the exhilaration of participating in a hunt. Since it is growing dark, there is a discussion among the boys as to whether they should stay on this side of the mountain and hunt the beast or return to Piggy and the "littles." They decide to stay, and the kind Simon offers to go off through the forest alone to inform Piggy of the plans. Because it is night, Ralph feels that they should postpone their search until daylight.
Jack accuses him of cowardice and Ralph gives in. While the other boys stay behind, Ralph, Jack and Roger begin to climb the mountain, but Ralph still feels it is a foolish plan. Ralph and Roger wait half way up the mountainside while Jack climbs alone to the top. Soon he comes rushing down to announce that he has seen the beast; it is a terrible thing that bulges out and makes flapping sounds. Ralph, Roger, and Jack decide to climb the mountain together to investigate the creature.
Ralph is about to faint from fear, but is revived by Jack's taunt of cowardice. As they move nearer, they shake in fright with teeth chattering. In the moonlight they spy a great ape-like creature seemingly asleep and with its head between its knees. A sudden gust of wind lifts the creatures' head to reveal its face. Scared out of their wits, the three boys leap down the slope to warn the others.
Notes When the boys reach the other side of the mountain in their search for the beast, Ralph contemplates the sea and simplistically sees it as their barrier to civilization. In truth, the barrier is the boys' themselves: their irresponsibility, their savage ways, their cruelty to one another, and their disregard for authority. As Simon earlier told the group, the "beast" lies within. At this point in the book, the beast, both literally and figuratively, begins to rear its ugly head.
Before Chapter 7, the savagery and brutality of the boys have been foreshadowed, but the evil has only been interrupted by fun and frolic. From this chapter forward, the novel shows a changed rhythm of the narrative. The fun and games are totally replaced with hysterical ritual and gross brutality. Many things about Ralph's character are developed in this chapter, and the author seems to be saying that even this rational boy is affected by the primitive nature of the island. Ralph sees the dirtiness of the boys, buts accepts their condition as a part of the freedom (almost as if he is accepting their savagery).
When he participates in chasing a boar for the first time, he is caught up in the excitement of the hunt and begins to better understand Jack and his tribe. When Robert pretends to be the beast, the boy's fierceness and violence in attacking him shocks the leader, but Ralph himself had earlier joined the ritual. Golding clearly suggests that every individual has some evil in him. The rivalry between Ralph and Jack also continues to build in this chapter. Each one tries to prove that he is braver than the other. Ralph is hesitant to climb the mountain in search of a beast in the dark, but Jack goads him onward by accusing him of cowardice.
Jack, still wanting to be in command, bravely climbs alone to the top, where he spies the beast. Ralph is scared stiff by Jack's description of the beast as ape-like and too horrible to be human. The leader manages to control his fear and climbs upward to get a closer look. But Ralph also exhibits some maturity in this chapter when he confronts his enemy. He asks Jack why he hates Piggy and himself. It is important to note that when the boys pass through the burned out forest, the ashes blind them.
This temporary blindness is symbolic of the boy's real blindness, their inability to see the real beast -- the evil within their hearts. CHAPTER 8 - GIFT FOR THE DARKNESS Early the next morning Jack, without permission, blows the conch and calls a meeting to discuss the beast. During the meeting, Jack heightens the general fear by telling everyone that the existence of the beast is real, for he has seen it. The boys grow eve...
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