They spot the shadowy parachutist and think he's the beast. Tempers between the two boys soon flare up, and they climb the mountain in the dark to prove their courage. While searching, they find a rock outcropping that would make a great fort, but no beast. Soon Ralph and Jack lead an expedition to search the island for the beast.

The boys on duty at the fire think it's the beast. That night, after a distant airplane battle, a dead parachutist lands on the mountaintop next to the signal fire. But the meeting soon becomes chaotic as several younger boys talk about the beast. Ralph calls an assembly hoping to set things right. They kill their first pig, but a ship passes while the signal fire is out, which causes a tremendous argument between Ralph and Jack. The rivalry between Ralph and Jack erupts when Jack forces the boys who were supposed to watch the signal fire come hunting with him. Simon, meanwhile, often wanders off into the forest to meditate. Lots of boys goof off, while Jack obsesses about hunting and takes every opportunity to mock Piggy, who is smart but weak. Ralph becomes frustrated when no one helps him build shelters. The boy who saw the beastie vanishes during the fire and is never seen again. The boys use Piggy's glasses to light the fire, but they're careless, and accidentally set part of the forest on fire. Ralph then suggests that they build a signal fire at the top of a mountain so any passing ships will see its smoke and rescue them. At the meeting, one young boy claims he saw a ' beastie' in the jungle, but Ralph dismisses it as just the product of a nightmare. The first rule is that whoever wants to speak at an assembly must hold the conch.

Soon after, Ralph, Jack, and another boy named Simon explore the island and discover wild pigs.Īt a second assembly, the boys set up rules to govern themselves. Ralph wins the election, and declares Jack the leader of the group's hunters. At the assembly, a boy named Jack mocks Piggy for being fat and runs against Ralph to become chief of the group. Ralph blows into it like a horn, and all the boys on the island assemble. Two of the boys, Ralph and Piggy find a conch shell. A group of English schoolboys are marooned on a jungle island with no adults after their plane is shot down in the middle of a war.

Lord of the flies hardcover