Chapter 3
What does Ralph want the boys to build?
Shelters/huts.
What does Ralph see in Chapter 4 that gives him hope?
A ship.
Throws rocks at littluns.
Rodger and Maurice
Why are Ralph and Jack becoming more than just two boys who disagree?
They represent competing ideas about how the group should live: Ralph represents order, cooperation, rescue, and civilization, while Jack increasingly represents instinct, hunting, power, and savagery.
The conch primarily symbolizes what?
Order, authority, and civilization.
Why does Ralph become frustrated while building the shelters?
Most of the boys do not help. They would rather play, swim, explore, or do other things.
Why is Ralph especially angry when he discovers that the signal fire is out?
Because the boys have lost a possible opportunity to be rescued.
Cried when his sand castle was destroyed.
Johnny and Pervical
Why does Simon leave the group and enter the forest?
He is drawn toward solitude and nature and seems more comfortable away from the group's conflict.
The signal fire primarily symbolizes what?
Hope and rescue.
How is Simon different from Ralph and Jack?
He is less interested in power and leadership and more interested in helping others and being connected to nature.
Why is Jack's inability to kill a pig early in the novel important when compared with Chapter 4?
It shows how dramatically he has changed. His fear and hesitation have been replaced by confidence and excitement about hunting.
Shares his portion of the pig of the hunt.
Simon
Why is Jack's treatment of Piggy significant beyond their personal conflict?
Jack's aggression toward Piggy represents the growing rejection of reason and civilized authority. The conflict becomes symbolic of savagery challenging civilization.
Piggy's glasses symbolize what?
Intelligence, reason, science, and technology.
Why is Simon's secret forest clearing important to his characterization?
It shows that Simon is thoughtful, peaceful, independent, and comfortable away from the group.
Why does Jack's face paint referred to as a mask?
The paint helps him separate himself from his normal identity and makes it easier for him to act outside the rules of civilization.
Breaks a rule; uses violence.
Jack
How could the littluns' fear eventually affect the balance of power between Ralph and Jack?
Fear may make the boys look for a leader who seems strong enough to protect them, potentially increasing Jack's influence.
What does Jack's face paint symbolize?
His growing separation from civilized identity and movement toward savagery.
Why does Golding emphasize the boys' changing appearance?
Their appearance reflects their gradual movement away from their civilized identities.
Identify THREE events in Chapters 3–4 that demonstrate civilization weakening.
How does Jack's success as a hunter threaten Ralph's leadership?
It gives Jack a different source of authority. The boys may begin valuing his strength and ability to provide meat more than Ralph's rules and plans for rescue.
Why does Rodger hesitate to throw rock at first?
He is battling guilt and to do the right thing.
Which character changes the most between the beginning of the novel and Chapter 4? Explain.
Jack is the strongest choice. He begins as a boy constrained by the expectations of civilization and gradually becomes more confident in hunting, more aggressive, and more willing to reject civilized behavior.