Duration of validity is not determined. As a result of a nuclear explosion that occurred somewhere, a group of teenagers who were being evacuated find themselves on a desert island. The first to meet on the seashore are Ralph and a fat boy with glasses nicknamed Piggy. Having found a large shell at the bottom of the sea, they use it as a horn and call all the guys together. Boys from three to fourteen years old come running; The last to arrive are the church choir singers, led by Jack Meridew. Ralph suggests choosing “the main one.” Besides him, Jack claims leadership, but the vote ends in favor of Ralph, who invites Jack to lead the choir members, making them hunters.

A small party of Ralph, Jack and Simon, a frail, fainting choir member, goes on a reconnaissance mission to determine whether they have actually reached the island. Piggy, despite his requests, is not taken with him.

Climbing up the mountain, the boys experience a feeling of unity and delight. On the way back, they notice a pig entangled in the vines. Jack is already raising the knife, but something stops him: he is not yet ready to kill. While he hesitates, the pig manages to escape, and the boy feels ashamed of his indecisiveness, vowing to himself to strike the killing blow next time.

The boys return to camp. Ralph calls a meeting and explains that now they will have to decide everything themselves. He proposes to set rules, in particular, not to speak to everyone at once, but to let the one holding the horn, which is what they call the sea shell, speak. The children are not yet afraid that they may not be rescued soon, and they are looking forward to a fun life on the island.

Suddenly the kids push forward a frail boy of about six years old with a birthmark covering half his face. It turns out that he saw an animal at night - a snake, which in the morning turned into a liana. The children suggest that it was a dream, a nightmare, but the boy firmly stands his ground. Jack promises to search the island and see if there are snakes here; Ralph says with annoyance that there is no animal.

Ralph convinces the guys that, of course, they will be saved, but to do this they need to build a large fire on the top of the mountain and maintain it so that they can be seen from the ship.

Together they build a fire and set it on fire with the help of Piggy's glasses. Jack and his hunters take charge of maintaining the fire.

It soon becomes clear that no one wants to work seriously: only Simon and Ralph continue to build huts; The hunters, carried away by the hunt, completely forgot about the fire. Due to the fact that the fire went out, the guys were not noticed from the ship passing by. This becomes the reason for the first serious quarrel between Ralph and Jack. Jack, who just at that moment killed the first pig, is offended that his feat was not appreciated, although he recognizes the justice of Ralph’s reproaches. Out of impotent anger, he breaks Piggy's glasses and teases him. Ralph barely manages to restore order and assert his dominance.

To maintain order, Ralph calls another meeting, now understanding how important it is to be able to correctly and consistently express his thoughts. He again reminds of the need to comply with the rules they themselves have established. But the main thing for Ralph is to get rid of the fear that has crept into the souls of the kids. Jack, who took the floor, unexpectedly utters the forbidden word “beast.” And in vain Piggy convinces everyone that there is no beast, no fear, “unless you scare each other” - the kids don’t want to believe it. Little Percival Weems Madison adds further confusion by claiming that "a beast comes out of the sea." And only Simon reveals the truth. “Maybe it’s us ourselves...” he says.

At this meeting, Jack, feeling powerful, refuses to obey the rules and promises to hunt down the beast. The boys are divided into two camps - those who represent reason, law and order (Piggy, Ralph, Simon), and those who represent the blind force of destruction (Jack, Roger and the other hunters).

That same night, the twins Eric and Sam, who were on duty on the mountain near the fire, come running to the camp with the news that they saw the beast. The boys search the island all day, and only in the evening Ralph, Jack and Roger go to the mountain. There, in the uncertain light of the moon, they mistake the corpse of a parachutist from a downed plane hanging on the slings for an animal and rush to run in fear.

At the new meeting, Jack openly reproaches Ralph for his cowardice, offering himself as leader. Having received no support, he goes into the forest.

Gradually, Piggy and Ralph begin to notice that fewer and fewer children remain in the camp, and they realize that they have gone to Jack.

The dreamer Simon, who has chosen a clearing in the forest where he can be alone, witnesses a pig hunt. As a sacrifice to the “beast”, hunters impale a pig’s head on a stake - this is the Lord of the Flies: after all, the head is completely covered with flies. Once he sees it, Simon can no longer take his eyes off “those ancient, inevitably recognizing eyes,” for the devil himself is looking at him. “You knew... that I am a part of you. An inseparable part,” says the head, as if hinting that it is the embodied evil that generates fear.

A little later, hunters led by Jack raid the camp to get fire. Their faces are smeared with clay: under the guise it is easier to commit atrocities. Having captured the fire, Jack invites everyone to join his squad, tempting them with hunting freedom and food.

Ralph and Piggy are terribly hungry, and they and the rest of the guys go to Jack. Jack once again calls on everyone to join his army. He is confronted by Ralph, who reminds him that he was elected in chief democratically. But with his reminder of civilization, Jack contrasts the primitive dance, accompanied by the call: “Beat the beast! Cut your throat! Suddenly, Simon appears on the site, who was on the mountain and was convinced with his own eyes that there was no animal there. He tries to talk about his discovery, but in the darkness he himself is mistaken for an animal and killed in a wild ritual dance.

Jack's "tribe" is located in a "castle", on a fortress-like rock, where, with the help of a simple lever, stones can be thrown onto the enemy. Ralph, meanwhile, is trying with all his might to keep the fire going, their only hope for salvation, but Jack, who sneaked into the camp one night, steals Piggy’s glasses, with which the guys started the fire.

Ralph, Piggy and the twins go to Jack in hopes of returning the glasses, but Jack greets them with hostility. In vain Piggy tries to convince them that “the law and that they save us” is better than “hunting and destroying everything.” In the ensuing fight, the twins are captured. Ralph is seriously wounded, and Piggy is killed by a stone thrown from the fortress... The horn, the last stronghold of democracy, is broken. The instinct to kill triumphs, and now Jack is ready to be replaced as leader by Roger, personifying stupid, bestial cruelty.

Ralph manages to escape. He understands “that the painted savages will stop at nothing.” Seeing that Eric and Sam have become sentries, Ralph tries to lure them to his side, but they are too scared. They only inform him that a hunt is being prepared for him. Then he asks them to take the “hunters” away from his hiding place: he wants to hide not far from the castle.

However, fear turns out to be stronger than the concepts of honor, and the twins betray it to Jack. They smoke Ralph out of the forest, not allowing him to hide... Like a hunted animal, Ralph rushes around the island and suddenly, jumping out onto the shore, he bumps into a naval officer. “They could have looked more decent,” he reproaches the guys. The news of the death of two boys strikes him. And imagining how it all began, he says: “Everything looked wonderful then. Just "Coral Island".

Lord of the Flies
Summary novel
Duration of validity is not determined. As a result of a nuclear explosion that occurred somewhere, a group of teenagers who were being evacuated find themselves on a desert island. The first to meet on the seashore are Ralph and a fat boy with glasses nicknamed Piggy. Having found a large shell at the bottom of the sea, they use it as a horn and call all the guys together. Boys from three to fourteen years old come running; The last to arrive are the church choir singers, led by Jack Meridew. Ralph suggests choosing “the main one.”

Besides him, Jack claims leadership, but the vote ends in favor of Ralph, who invites Jack to lead the choir members, making them hunters.
A small party of Ralph, Jack and Simon, a frail, fainting choir member, goes on a reconnaissance mission to determine whether they have actually reached the island. Piggy, despite his requests, is not taken with him.
Climbing up the mountain, the boys experience a feeling of unity and delight. On the way back, they notice a pig entangled in the vines. Jack is already raising the knife, but something stops him: he is not yet ready to kill. While he hesitates, the pig manages to escape, and the boy feels ashamed of his indecisiveness, vowing to himself to strike the killing blow next time.
The boys return to camp. Ralph calls a meeting and explains that now they will have to decide everything themselves. He proposes to set rules, in particular, not to speak to everyone at once, but to let the one holding the horn, which is what they call the sea shell, speak. The children are not yet afraid that they may not be rescued soon, and they are looking forward to a fun life on the island.
Suddenly the kids push forward a frail boy of about six years old with a birthmark covering half his face. It turns out that he saw an animal at night - a snake, which in the morning turned into a vine. The children suggest that it was a dream, a nightmare, but the boy firmly stands his ground. Jack promises to search the island and check for snakes; Ralph says with annoyance that there is no animal.
Ralph convinces the guys that, of course, they will be saved, but to do this they need to build a large fire on the top of the mountain and maintain it so that they can be seen from the ship.
Together they build a fire and set it on fire with the help of Piggy's glasses. Jack and his hunters take charge of maintaining the fire.
It soon becomes clear that no one wants to work seriously: only Simon and Ralph continue to build huts; The hunters, carried away by the hunt, completely forgot about the fire. Due to the fact that the fire went out, the guys were not noticed from the ship passing by. This becomes the reason for the first serious quarrel between Ralph and Jack. Jack, who just at that moment killed the first pig, is offended that his feat was not appreciated, although he recognizes the justice of Ralph’s reproaches. Out of impotent anger, he breaks Piggy's glasses and teases him. Ralph barely manages to restore order and assert his dominance.
To maintain order, Ralph calls another meeting, now understanding how important it is to be able to correctly and consistently express his thoughts. He again reminds of the need to comply with the rules they themselves have established. But the main thing for Ralph is to get rid of the fear that has crept into the souls of the kids. Jack, who took the floor, unexpectedly utters the forbidden word “beast”. And in vain Piggy convinces everyone that there is no beast, no fear, “unless you scare each other” - the kids don’t want to believe it. Little Percival Weems Madison adds further confusion by claiming that “a beast comes out of the sea.” And only Simon reveals the truth. “Maybe it’s us ourselves...” he says.
At this meeting, Jack, feeling powerful, refuses to obey the rules and promises to hunt down the beast. The boys are divided into two camps - those who represent reason, law and order (Piggy, Ralph, Simon), and those who represent the blind force of destruction (Jack, Roger and the other hunters).
That same night, the twins Eric and Sam, who were on duty on the mountain near the fire, come running to the camp with the news that they saw the beast. The boys search the island all day, and only in the evening Ralph, Jack and Roger go to the mountain. There, in the uncertain light of the moon, they mistake the corpse of a parachutist from a downed plane hanging on the slings for an animal and rush to run in fear.
At the new meeting, Jack openly reproaches Ralph for his cowardice, offering himself as leader. Having received no support, he goes into the forest.
Gradually, Piggy and Ralph begin to notice that fewer and fewer children remain in the camp, and they realize that they have gone to Jack.
The dreamer Simon, who has chosen a clearing in the forest where he can be alone, witnesses a pig hunt. As a sacrifice to the “beast”, hunters impale a pig’s head on a stake - this is the Lord of the Flies: after all, the head is completely covered with flies. Once he sees it, Simon can no longer take his eyes off “those ancient, inevitably recognizing eyes,” for the devil himself is looking at him. “You knew... that I am a part of you. An inseparable part,” says the head, as if hinting that it is evil incarnate, generating fear.
A little later, hunters led by Jack raid the camp to get fire. Their faces are smeared with clay: under the guise it is easier to commit atrocities. Having captured the fire, Jack invites everyone to join his squad, tempting them with hunting freedom and food.
Ralph and Piggy are terribly hungry, and they and the rest of the guys go to Jack. Jack once again calls on everyone to join his army. He is confronted by Ralph, who reminds him that he was elected in chief democratically. But with his reminder of civilization, Jack contrasts the primitive dance, accompanied by the call: “Beat the beast! Cut your throat!” Suddenly, Simon appears on the site, who was on the mountain and was convinced with his own eyes that there was no animal there. He tries to talk about his discovery, but in the darkness he himself is mistaken for an animal and killed in a wild ritual dance.
Jack’s “tribe” is located in a “castle”, on a fortress-like rock, where, with the help of a simple lever, stones can be thrown onto the enemy. Ralph, meanwhile, is trying with all his might to keep the fire going, their only hope for salvation, but Jack, who sneaked into the camp one night, steals Piggy’s glasses, with which the guys started the fire.
Ralph, Piggy and the twins go to Jack in hopes of returning the glasses, but Jack greets them with hostility. In vain Piggy tries to convince them that “the law and that they save us” is better than “hunting and destroying everything.” In the ensuing fight, the twins are captured. Ralph is seriously wounded, and Piggy is killed by a stone thrown from the fortress... The horn, the last stronghold of democracy, is broken. The instinct to kill triumphs, and now Jack is ready to be replaced as leader by Roger, personifying stupid, bestial cruelty.
Ralph manages to escape. He understands “that the painted savages will stop at nothing.” Seeing that Eric and Sam have become sentries, Ralph tries to lure them to his side, but they are too scared. They only inform him that a hunt is being prepared for him. Then he asks them to take the “hunters” away from his hiding place: he wants to hide not far from the castle.
However, fear turns out to be stronger than the concepts of honor, and the twins betray it to Jack. They smoke Ralph out of the forest, not allowing him to hide... Like a hunted animal, Ralph rushes around the island and suddenly, jumping out onto the shore, he bumps into a naval officer. “They could have looked more decent,” he reproaches the guys. The news of the death of two boys strikes him. And imagining how it all began, he says: “Everything looked wonderful then. Simply “Coral Island”.

You are currently reading: Summary of Lord of the Flies – William Golding

Year of writing: 1954

Genre: novel

Main characters: Ralph, Jack, Piggy- teenagers

Plot

A large group of boys aged six to fourteen were stranded on a desert island. They rejoice in unexpected freedom. The most reasonable ones suggest choosing a leader and establishing rules of behavior so that they can be saved. And as a result of this, the group is divided into two parts: some for work and laws (there are fewer of them), some for a free life full of adventures. The anarchists are led by Jack, a strong, cruel and aggressive teenager. HE intimidates the guys and completely subordinates them to his power. As a result of the struggle for power, two teenagers die, and a real hunt is organized for Ralph.

When a ship sails to the island, the captain is amazed by the appearance of the guys and their behavior, because from the outside the island seemed like a paradise.

Conclusion (my opinion)

In extreme circumstances, the essence of people is revealed. They either become aggressive and senselessly cruel, or they mobilize all their best qualities and try to find a reasonable way out of the situation. And sometimes fear is the main thing driving force actions and actions of people.

A plane crashed into the sea after the disaster. There were teenagers on the island. Fat man with glasses, asthmatic; slender, skillful Ralph. Jack also knows how to hunt. And with them are many kids.

The children decided to wait for salvation and live by the rules.

They hold meetings, many talk about how real Englishmen should live. They decided that the one with the “horn”—a large shell—has the right to speak.

Ralph was chosen as the leader because he was smart. But children cannot control their whims. Moreover, they do not know how to do what they once heard about.

So they decided to light a big fire - as the ship sailed by, the sailors would see the high smoke and save everyone. Nobody has matches. They guessed to take off Fatty’s glasses (he gets very offended when they call him Piggy) and collect them through the lens sunlight. The hearth caught fire and there was a fire. One of the little boys disappeared in the fire.

They began to build shacks - most of the guys ran away to hunt. Only Ralph, Simon and Fatman were working. Daring Jack claims that the main thing is the hunt.

A ship sailed past the island and did not notice the smoke, because those who were assigned to watch the fire neglected their duties.

Children turn into savages. They painted their faces. Two twins killed a pig. They cut her throat. There is no longer any discipline. Nobody listens to Ralph. He is very concerned about this. Moreover, rumors spread that a terrible beast or spirit lived either in the forest or in the sea. The children are terrified. The boys used a homemade spear to kill another pig and make a stuffed animal of its head. It's like an idol - the owner of flies.

Children are becoming more and more like animals. Simon, Ralph, Fatty and the twins are separated from the others because they want to be human. Simon dies of fever. In his heat, he thinks he is talking to the owner of the flies.

The hunters are led by Jack. They went completely wild. When their fire went out again, they attacked Fat Man and stole his glasses.

The fat man walks over his glasses and dies under the rubble of a rock, they pushed him. Ralph wants to convince himself that this is an accident, but he guesses that it is murder.

Ralph's existence is like salt in the eye and a pain in the side for the savages. The twins moved to Jack's camps because he is stronger and has meat. But they still warn Ralph that they want to kill him with spears, like a pig.

Ralph is hiding in the forest.

When help finally arrives, the officer sees wild and predatory creatures with almost nothing human left.

And at first it seemed that this was just an adventure - a coral island, will, a fun game...

Due to a nuclear disaster, a group of children are evacuated, but they end up in desert island. The first are Ralph and fat Piggy. They find a large shell and blow it, calling out to everyone else. Boys of different ages appear. The last one is Jack Merridew. Ralph calls for a leader to be elected. Besides him, Meridew is also vying for this title. But with a majority of votes, the guys choose Ralph.

A small group consisting of Ralph, Jack and Simon sets out to find out if they are actually on the island. Walking back to the parking lot, the guys see a stuck pig. Jack was about to kill him, but no one knows what stopped him. While he was confused, the animal manages to free himself and run away. Meridew is ashamed of her hesitation. He promised that he would definitely kill him later. Returning to the others, Ralph gathers everyone and explains that from now on they need to make decisions on their own. The boys are not yet afraid that they may not be found. They are looking forward to a not boring life in this place.

Unexpectedly, one of the boys said that he noticed a snake at night. Jack promises to explore the island. Ralph reassures everyone that they will definitely be found, but for this it is necessary to light a fire and constantly monitor it. Jack takes on this matter.

A little later it turns out that most do not take the situation seriously. Jack's hunters, immersed in catching animals, completely forgot about fire. Because of what happened, the first conflict arises between Jack and Ralph.

Ralph tries to calm everyone down. Trying to encourage people to follow the rules and not be afraid. Jack, realizing his power, rebels against the chosen leader. Now the guys are divided into two parts. The first is Piggy, Ralph and Simon, they represent intelligence and rules. The second part is all the remaining ones, they adhere to disorder, disruption and destruction.

Over time, Piggy and Ralph realize that they are becoming fewer and fewer. The boys joined Jack.

One day Simon watched the guys hunt an animal. They impaled a pig's head. The head, covered with flies, served as bait. This was the Lord of the Flies.

A little later, Jack and his guys capture the camp. Ralph tries to calm him down, reminding him of humanity. But Jack answers him with a primitive dance with wild calls. Soon Simon appears, he tries to tell the others that there is no beast on the skeleton. But he himself is mistaken for an animal and killed.

Jack and his squad are stationed on a cliff. At the same time, Ralph is trying to protect and maintain the fire. The fire is the only chance of salvation. But Jack sneaks in at night and takes Piggy's glasses.

Ralph and several boys go to Jack to return the stolen goods. A fight breaks out between the two camps. Piggy is killed with a rock and Ralph is seriously injured. There is a desire to kill and take revenge in the air.

Ralph manages to escape. He rushes around the island until he bumps into an officer. He scolds the guys for their wild appearance. The news of the death of two boys shocks him.