- Chapter 9: “A View to a Death”
- 1. What are the purpose and effect of Jack‟s generosity with the meat he and the hunters obtained?
- What do you think his decision to give meat to even Ralph and Piggy is meant to show?
- 2. Why does Jack command the boys to dance and chant, and why is this an effective leadership tactic? What psychological effect does dancing and chanting have on the boys? Think back to the effect that putting on makeup had on them in Chapter 4.
- 3. What is the “beast” that the boys kill? How is this event ironic and especially tragic (not only for the “beast,” but for everyone on the island)? How is it symbolically significant?
- 4. Why do you think Golding decided to have the “figure” fly over the boys on the beach and into the sea? Why do you think he had Simon‟s body get washed away, and what does this represent in a psychological sense?
- Chapter 10: “The Shell and the Glasses”
- 1. How do Ralph and Piggy view Simon‟s death? How does each of them react to it? Why does Ralph laugh as he says, “I got the conch,” and why does Piggy react so strongly to his laughter? What explanations do they have for their behavior, and what excuses do they come up with? What do these reactions show about them and about human nature?
- 2. What does the narrator mean to suggest when he says, “Memory of the dance that none of them had attended shook all four boys convulsively”?
- 3. How do the biguns seem to define a “proper chief”? What does this criterion suggest about human psychology?
- 4. What does Jack do that causes Roger to have doubts about his leadership?
- 5. What feelings, beliefs, and speculations do Jack‟s biguns have about what happened the night before at the feast? Can you explain why they did what they did? Why are they “half-relieved, half- daunted by the implication of further terrors”? Consider the significance of the quotes below, especially the second one. What unspoken words complete the first sentence?
- „“But didn‟t we, didn‟t we—”‟ „“No!”‟
- “How could we—kill—it?”
- “Each savage flinched away from his individual memory.” „“I expect the beast disguised itself.”‟
- 6. What signs of stress and fear can we see in Ralph, Piggy, and Samneric‟s behavior in this chapter?