Lord of the Flies - Key plot details
- A group of schoolboys find themselves stranded on a deserted island with no adults to supervise them.
- A leader, Ralph, is elected but not everyone is happy about this, especially Jack.
- Although some of the younger boys are scared because they think there is a beast on the island, they all try to be civilised by making a fire to signal for help and by building shelters.
- Jack, however, seems only interested in hunting and, as some of the boys start to follow his lead, things begin to go wrong - arguments break out and Jack becomes increasingly aggressive.
- Concerns over the Beast continue, particularly when Sam and Eric report that they have actually seen it.
- The boys break into two groups - one is led by Ralph and one by Jack.
- Simon sets out to discover the truth about the Beast but in a horrific turn of events is killed by the others.
- Piggy is also killed and Sam and Eric are taken prisoner by an increasingly dangerous Jack.
- Jack and his tribe try to hunt Ralph down and attempt to smoke him out by starting a huge fire, but a passing ship sees the fire and rescues all the boys. Ralph is saved from certain death and the rescuing officer chastises the boys for not behaving in a British manner.
In an essay called Fable, William Golding wrote: 'Man produces evil as a bee produces honey'. His novel Lord of the Flies sets out to show how evil and cruelty lurks within the heart of every individual.