Ralph: main character- Ralph is the narrator of the story.
Jack: Jack is Ralph main enemy in the story. He leads the hunters.
Piggy: Piggy is the smart one of the group.
Simon: He is my favorite character in the story. He is viewed as the Christ-figure and interprets the mysteries of the island.
Roger: Roger is JackÆs ôsidekickö and is a vicious murderer at heart.
Sam and Eric: The twins stick close to Ralph until they are forced to join the hunters. Their main job is to watch the signal fire.
The littluns: The littluns are basically the younger boys and ride the bandwagon.
The two boys Ralph and Piggy meet each other in a thick jungle and discover that they crashed in an airplane and are stranded. They also learn that there are no adults present on the island and that none of the adults survived the crash.
As they approach a beach, they find an enormous conch shell. Piggy gives the conch a little toot and summons the rest of the boys on the island to the beach. The boys assemble and elect Ralph as the leader. Ralph then assigns the Choir, led by Jack, to be the hunters.
Then Jack, Ralph, and Simon set out to explore the island. Near the end of their journey, they encounter a wild pig. Jack tries to kill it, but is unsuccessful.
When the explorers get back, a meeting is held. The explorers explain that the island is deserted but there is enough food to keep them alive. Jack and the hunters promise to supply meat. Ralph makes a rule that whoever is in possession of the conch shell is allowed to speak. Ralph proposes the idea of a signal fire to alert passing ships of their presence. All the boys agree and everybody rushes to the hilltop to start a fire. The fire sparks the gathered wood into a blaze. One of the boys is reported missing but none of the boys will admit to the likelihood of an accident.
Everyone is hard at work the next day, either building huts or hunting. Soon the younger boys loose interest and go off to play. A meeting is called and the boys come up with some new ideas and talk about problems. Meanwhile jack wanders off and enjoys the peace and quiet.
Soon the boys get into a rhythm of everyday life. In the morning is the best time for activity because it is cool and quiet. Afternoons are associated with napping. Some of the littluns are suffering from diarrhea from eating too much fruit.
While Ralph and Piggy sit on the beach they notice a ship on the horizon, and are horrified to see that the signal fire has gone out. The boys rush to the hilltop to try to get it going again but it is too late. Jack and the hunters who were in charge of the fire were nowhere to be found. Ralph scolds Jack about the fire and he apologizes though he does not really care.
Another meeting is called at the familiar place and Ralph reprimands them about their irresponsibility. Then the subject of the so called ôbeastö comes up. Ralph and Piggy try to give an explanation but it has no effect. Eventually chaos spreads though the crowd and the run off led by Jack, and Ralph is thoroughly agitated.
That night, an air battle is going on and a dead pilot, with a parachute, lands next to the signal fire where Sam and Eric have fallen asleep. They are awakened and are terrified by the shadows and the body. The twins scramble down to the beach where a group has assembled, and they tell the story with farfetched details.
A team of explorers is sent to investigate. They discover new land and plan what they will do with it, but Ralph reminds them of their mission and they continue. As they approach the hilltop, Jack accuses Ralph of being chicken and starts up by himself. They are frightened by what they see and spread even more panic with their report.
Jack decides to hold a meeting and announces the threat of the beast and take a vote to overthrow Ralph. Nobody else agrees and Jack runs off alone in embarrassment. Soon the fire is rebuilt and Ralph notices some of the boys have gone to join Jack. He is concerned.
Jack and his group have captured another boar and are preparing it to be eaten, and they cut off its head and mount it on a pole as a gift for the beast.
As Ralph, Piggy, and the remaining boys sit on the beach, some of the hunters surprise them and ambush them. Not wanting a fight the hunters only take some torches from the fire, and leave saying that Jack is the leader of the new tribe and they are having a feast and everyone is invited. Also, they can join JackÆs tribe if they behave properly.
Meanwhile, Simon was having an encounter with the pig head. It seemed to be speaking to him. It warned him that he cannot escape him and that he is in everyone. After the pig head verbally attacks Simon repeatedly, he faints.
After Simon recovers, he walks, very tired and fearful, to where the pilot is and frees the parachute. Then he wanders to the bottom of the mountain to tell the boys of the news.
The other boys decide to join the feast. As night approaches, the hunters do a ferocious war dance, and even Ralph and Piggy jump in. As Simon approaches, he is seen as a mere shadow by the dancers, and they are so barbarian that they viciously attack Simon, not hearing the cry of their friend Simon. Despite his efforts, Simon dies as a tropical storm rolls in, and his body is washed out to sea.
Ralph and Piggy feel terribly about what has happened and cannot live with themselves. That night some of JackÆs tribe assault the hut on the beach where the remaining boys are housed. After all the confusion, the boys discover that PiggyÆs glasses are gone.
Ralph, Piggy, and Sam and Eric decide to visit Castle Rock (JackÆs Hide Out.) They are greeted with resistance. Piggy hears a roar coming toward him. It is a boulder, dislodged by Roger, that crushes Piggy under it. Sam and Eric are captured and Ralph escapes with a flesh wound.
The next morning Ralph is awakened by voices and soon realizes that Jack has set the forest on fire to smoke him out. Armed with a spear he thinks of only escape. As he reaches the end of the island, at a beach, he collapses from exhaustion. When he comes around, he sees a naval officer standing before him and the hunters standing around in disbelief. He gets to his knees and cries.
Areas of Usage of Chemistry:
1. Pg. 43-44 PiggyÆs glasses to start fire.
2. Pg. 195 The forest is set on fire.
3. Pg. 138 The decomposition of the pig.
4. Pg. 59 Example of malnutrition and poor digestion.
5. Pg. 67 The fire goes out because of lack of fuel.
