THE CONCH
What is the conch used for at assemblies?
Whoever holds the conch has the right to speak
Who says "Maybe there is a beast... maybe it's only us"?
Simon
Who is elected chief at the first assembly?
Ralph
What two things does Ralph's group prioritize?
The signal fire and shelters — rescue and civilization
What goes wrong with the first signal fire the boys build?
It burns out of control and a littlun with a birthmark disappears — presumed dead
Who finds the conch at the beginning of the novel?
Ralph and Piggy find it together — Piggy spots it, Ralph retrieves it
Who says "The rules are the only thing we've got"?
Ralph
What is Piggy's real contribution to the group — beyond being mocked?
His glasses make fire possible — he represents intellect and practical knowledge
What does Jack's painted face represent?
A mask that frees him from shame and social rules — allows him to hunt and kill without guilt
Why does Jack's tribe steal Piggy's glasses instead of the conch?
The glasses make fire — real power. The conch is just a symbol with no practical use anymore
What happens when Jack says "the conch doesn't count on this end of the island"?
He's rejecting Ralph's authority and democratic rules — creating a separate power structure
Who says "Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Spill her blood"?
Jack's hunters — it's their hunting chant
What is Roger's role in Jack's tribe, and how does he change?
He starts as a boy who throws stones to miss, and becomes the one who kills Piggy — he represents cruelty freed from consequences
Why do most boys eventually join Jack instead of staying with Ralph?
Jack offers meat, excitement, protection, and freedom from rules — Ralph offers duty, work, and delayed rescue
What does Simon discover when he climbs the mountain alone?
The "beast" is actually a dead parachutist — a soldier from the adult war above
What is happening on the island at the exact moment the conch is destroyed?
Piggy is killed by Roger's boulder — the conch shatters with him
Who says "I'm part of you"?
The Lord of the Flies / the pig's head, speaking to Simon
Why is Simon different from every other boy on the island?
He's the only one who seeks truth alone, names the beast as internal, and tries to bring knowledge back — he's the mystic/prophet figure
The mock hunt with Robert in Chapter 7 almost goes too far. Why is this scene important?
It shows that even Ralph feels the thrill of violence — savagery isn't limited to Jack's tribe, it's in everyone
How does Simon die?
The boys, caught in a hunting frenzy during a storm, mistake Simon for the beast and beat him to death
The conch starts "deep cream, touched with fading pink" and ends as bleached white fragments. What does this physical change parallel?
The fading of civilization and democratic authority on the island — as the conch loses color, the rules lose power
Who says "Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart"?
The narrator, describing Ralph's breakdown at rescue
The naval officer who rescues the boys is himself part of a war. Why does Golding make the rescuer a military figure?
It undermines the rescue — the "civilized" adult world is doing the same thing the boys did, just at a larger scale
Golding said the novel traces "the defects of society back to the defects of human nature." Does the novel prove this, or does it show that circumstances (not nature) cause the breakdown?
Accept either argued position — the point is engaging with the question
The novel ends mid-hunt — Jack's tribe has set the entire island on fire to flush out Ralph. What is the irony of this fire?
The fire that was supposed to be a signal for rescue — which Ralph begged them to maintain — finally works, but only because it's a fire of destruction, not hope