Lord of the Flies Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Everyone returns to the shelter. Ralph describes the beast they saw on the mountain. Piggy does not believe that they saw a real beast. He asks what should be done next. Ralph is confused about the next step and hopelessly says that the beast is lying there next to the signal fire and has become a hurdle in their rescue. Jack gets excited and says that he along with his hunters will go and kill the beast. Ralph says that they cannot do anything, as they are just boys with nothing but sticks. Jack gets offended and calls everyone together for a meeting. He asks for a vote to change the leadership, as Ralph is belittling the hunters. Everyone votes for Ralph, and Jack starts crying because he feels humiliated. He declares that he will boycott all activities and build his own group and anyone can join him for hunting. He goes into the jungle. The meeting continues, and Simon suggests going to the mountain top and finding a solution to get rid of the beast. Piggy calls out this suggestion and says that they should light the fire on the beach. Everyone agrees and starts lighting the fire on the beach. Ralph and Piggy sit together afterward and discuss the fact that most of the biguns have left with Jack. Jack gathers his followers in another part of the forest. He promises them to focus only on hunting. During their first hunt, they are successful in catching a pig and killing it. All of the boys start shouting when they see Jack with the dead pig. They cannot cook it because they do not have anything to light the fire. Jack tells his followers that they will raid Ralph's camp to get Piggy's glasses. Roger puts the pig's head on a stick and leaves it for the beast. Simon sees all of this from his hidden place, and he feels as if the head is talking to him and telling him not to interfere. Simon gets faint and falls. Meanwhile, Jack appears in Ralph's camp and gets fire from the signal fire. He invites everyone to have a feast and then disappears into the forest.