Two separate illustrations of an animal head and a fire on a mountain

Lord of the Flies

by William Golding

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Chapter 10 Summary & Analysis

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Summary

The morning after the feast, Ralph, Piggy, Samneric, and a few littluns are back at the original camp. The rest of the boys have abandoned the cause of getting rescued. Ralph and Piggy try to discuss the events of the previous evening, but both boys are wracked with guilt and disgust. Moreover, they find themselves baffled by their actions. Piggy suspects that he joined in the violent dance because he was scared, to which Ralph replies, “‘I don’t know what I was.’” Piggy expresses the hopeful possibility that Simon is still alive, but the boys know the truth. 

The gravity of their situation—the dissolution of their plans, the splitting of the group, the death of Simon, the unlikelihood of rescue—descends on them. The two boys protect themselves by saying that they did not really participate in the savage festivities. When Samneric arrive, the four boys avoid directly addressing the tragedy of the night before. They all claim not to have participated, despite their obvious cuts and scrapes.

On the other side of the island, Jack’s tribe has turned the small, connected outcropping into a fort, which they call “Castle Rock.” Roger approaches the fort but is screened first by a sentry. Roger learns that inside the fort a boy named Wilfred is being beaten. The sentry shows him the fort’s defenses, which include a log that has been lodged under a rock on one end, ready to cast it down onto the causeway below. 

When he enters the fort, Roger finds Jack, clad in face paint, holding an assembly. Jack tells the others that they will go hunting the next day, but that the fort must be guarded at all times from the other boys as well as the beast. The boys are frightened into agreement. Discussing the previous night’s events, Jack claims the beast “came—disguised.” Stanley tries to ask about the killing of Simon. Jack declares that they did not kill him, but the boys all silently acknowledge the difficult truth, each one “flinch[ing] away from his individual memory.” Jack then underscores the need to leave the pigs’ heads as a sacrifice to the beast. The boys discuss the problem of starting a fire for the next feast. Jack hatches a plan to go steal fire from the other boys, and he enlists Roger and Maurice to come with him.

Back at the old camp, Ralph, Piggy, and Samneric torpidly gather wood and build a fire. The boys are all exhausted, disheartened, and verging on hopelessness, and the wood is too wet to light. They all settle down to sleep in one of the shelters but restlessness keeps them from sleep. Samneric wrestle while locked in a bad dream. Piggy and Ralph joke about the possibility of Piggy writing a letter to his aunt to ask for help, which sends Ralph into fits of laughter. Eventually, the boys all sleep.

Piggy wakes Ralph, telling him to listen for rustling sounds outside. Suddenly, dark figures flood into the shelter and attack the boys. In the pitch black, Ralph wrestles with the invaders, trading blows and bashing one in the face. In the scuffle, the shelter collapses. Just as suddenly, the invaders leave. The boys gather themselves outside and help Piggy, who has taken the most significant beating. Piggy remarks that they didn’t take the conch, as he had expected; he is overcome with sorrow when he realized what they took instead. Down the beach, Jack slinks away carrying his prize: Piggy’s glasses.

Analysis

Chapter 10 makes clear the shift in power from Ralph to Jack, from civilization to savagery, and from truth-telling to lying. Ralph, Piggy, and Samneric continue to adhere to their prior goals and principles, but they are descending into despair, having lost the majority of the group and having witnessed—and participated in—the merciless killing of Simon. As they go about their tasks, their sense of a larger vision of being rescued has become occluded to the point that they cannot recall precisely why they are doing what they are doing. They can acknowledge the truths at hand—that Simon was cruelly killed and that rescue is unlikely—but they have no grandiose fictions to protect themselves from those truths.

Conversely, Jack is gaining more power. Jack succeeds in distracting his gang from the difficult truths around them. Rather than allowing them to confront the stark reality of their being stranded, Jack offers the boys the fun of hunting and feasting on pig. Rather than letting them face the fact that they killed Simon, Jack concocts preposterous stories about the beast, thereby scaring the boys into doing what he tells them to. Unlike Ralph, Jack harnesses the forces of fiction and rhetoric, brazenly lying in order to control the boys. Jack has become a propagandistic dictator.

Roger’s reflections add weight to the terror of Jack’s rule. Seeing Jack’s vicious regime, Roger considers the possibilities of irresponsible authority and dreams of pushing the regime to even greater heights of brutality. Without any formal or moral restraints, Roger is able to embrace his dark desires. 

Jack’s raid on Ralph’s camp further illustrates the shift in power and priorities among the boys. Piggy initially protects the conch, fearing that Jack wants to take it to gain power. However, fire has assumed the primary symbolic role of power on the island. The conch has lost influence—it is no longer even a target worthy of Jack’s ambition. While once fire was a symbol of hope for rescue, now Jack has captured the ability to make fire serve needs. 

The two groups’ differing uses of fire symbolizes the essential differences between the two. Whereas Ralph hopes to harness fire in order to signal for rescue, Jack wants fire in order to feast. The fact that there is only one set of glasses on the island indicates that only one agenda and social order can prevail on the island. By the end of chapter 10, it is clear that Jack’s agenda is prevailing.

Expert Q&A

In Lord of the Flies, why don't Jack and his hunters take the conch during their attack?

Jack and his hunters do not take the conch during their attack because it no longer holds any power or significance for them. By this point in the story, Jack rules through force and intimidation, having abandoned the conch's symbol of order and civility. Instead, their primary concern is survival and dominance, so they prioritize taking Piggy's glasses to start fires for cooking meat, illustrating their descent into savagery.

Why do the boys plan to raid Ralph's camp in Lord of the Flies?

The boys plan to raid Ralph's camp to steal Piggy's glasses, which they need to start a fire for cooking meat. Jack and his hunters carry out the raid at night, successfully taking the glasses after attacking Ralph, Piggy, and Samneric. This act leaves Piggy nearly blind and prompts him to journey to Castle Rock to retrieve them, a decision that ultimately leads to tragic consequences.

What symbols are found in chapter 10 of Lord of the Flies, excluding Piggy's broken glasses?

In chapter 10 of Lord of the Flies, important symbols include the conch, the beast, and the fire. The conch represents civility and order, its loss of power indicating the decline of these values. The beast symbolizes the inherent wickedness within the boys. The fire represents hope and security, and its extinction signifies the boys' lost hope and increased vulnerability.

What was ironic about the fight in the dark in Lord of the Flies on pages 149-150?

The irony of the fight in the dark on pages 149-150 is that Ralph and Eric, who are allies, end up fighting each other instead of Jack and his hunters. Unaware of each other's identity, they believe they are attacking their enemies, highlighting the chaos and confusion of the situation.

In chapter 10 of "Lord of the Flies", what item does Piggy believe the others are attempting to steal, and why is this ironic?

In chapter 10 of "Lord of the Flies", Piggy believes the others are attempting to steal the conch. This is ironic because, while Piggy still values the conch as a symbol of order and hope, it has lost its significance among the boys, who have descended into savagery. Instead, they seek Piggy's glasses to create fire, which symbolizes destruction and their loss of civilization.

What frightens Ralph in chapter 10 of Lord of the Flies and why?

In Chapter 10, Ralph is frightened by the realization that the true danger comes from within the boys themselves, not from any mythical beast. After Simon's death, Ralph recognizes that the boys, including himself, are capable of murder, and this self-awareness terrifies him. Piggy tries to rationalize the incident as an accident, but Ralph is haunted by the violence and savagery they exhibited, fearing what they might do next.

In Chapter 10 of Lord of the Flies, why does Ralph's laughter at "I got the conch" upset Piggy?

Ralph's laughter at "I got the conch" upsets Piggy because it signifies Ralph's loss of faith in the conch's authority and the possibility of maintaining order. Piggy, who values civilization and order symbolized by the conch, is frightened by Ralph's reaction, fearing it indicates the end of their efforts to establish a civil society on the island.

What changes has Jack made to Castle Rock in chapter 10 of Lord of the Flies and why?

In Chapter 10, Jack transforms Castle Rock into a fortified base for his tribe of savages. He stations sentries and uses wooden planks to create levers for rolling boulders at intruders. This strategic location, separated from the main island by a narrow ledge, allows Jack to maintain control and intimidate others. The area becomes crucial in the conflict with Ralph's group, culminating in Piggy's death when Roger releases a boulder.

What does Ralph mean by "I wasn't scared. I was-I don't know what I was." in Chapter 10 of Lord of the Flies?

In Chapter 10 of Lord of the Flies, Ralph's statement, "I wasn't scared. I was-I don't know what I was," indicates his difficulty in articulating his emotions during Simon's murder. He acknowledges he wasn't scared but struggles to explain the frenzied, adrenaline-fueled state he experienced. Golding uses this to show Ralph succumbing to primitive instincts, overwhelmed by the ritualistic excitement.

In Chapter 10 of Lord of the Flies, how does Piggy's claim affect our judgement of him and differ from Ralph's?

In Chapter 10, Piggy's claim that Simon's death was an accident highlights his denial and guilt, contrasting with Ralph's acceptance of their involvement. Piggy's excuses and refusal to take responsibility reveal his flawed nature, undermining his usual rationality and honesty. This portrayal aligns with Golding's theme of inherent human wickedness. In contrast, Ralph's acknowledgment of their actions underscores his responsible character, emphasizing the differences between the two boys' responses to the tragedy.

In chapter 10 of Lord of the Flies, who recalls Simon's words about the dead man?

In Chapter 10, Ralph is the one who recalls Simon's words about the dead parachutist. This recollection marks his admission of having been part of the group that killed Simon, indicating both a sense of guilt and a perceptive awareness of the underlying evil present on the island. Ralph's memory of Simon's words contrasts with Jack's lack of awareness, highlighting Ralph's deeper understanding of the situation's gravity.

In chapter 10 of Lord of the Flies, what did Jack take from the others?

In Chapter 10, Jack steals Piggy's glasses from the others, which are crucial for making fire. This act symbolizes his complete disregard for the group's needs and his desire for power. By taking the glasses, Jack not only gains a practical advantage but also undermines Ralph's leadership. This theft marks a shift in power dynamics and highlights Jack's use of violence and intimidation to enforce his authority.

Wilfred's Punishment in Lord of the Flies

In Lord of the Flies, Wilfred's punishment in chapter 10 highlights Jack's tyrannical and savage leadership. Wilfred is tied up and beaten on Jack's orders, with no reason provided. This arbitrary violence underscores Jack's use of fear and brutality to maintain control over his tribe. Roger, a fellow sadist, finds Jack's display of power intriguing, reflecting the dangerous allure of unchecked authority. Wilfred's beating serves as a warning to others, solidifying Jack's dominance through intimidation.

Jack's tribe's defense of Castle Rock in Lord of the Flies

Jack's tribe defends Castle Rock by establishing it as a fortified stronghold. They use its natural rock formations to create a secure base, employing guards and a boulder trap to ward off intruders. This strategic location gives them a defensive advantage and symbolizes their descent into savagery and authoritarian control.

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