The Lord of the Flies
William Golding
Contributed by Karim Chandra
Chapter 6
Summary

One night, when the boys are asleep, an air battle takes place above them. In what may be an accident, one pilot slips out of his plane and clings on a parachute as he falls to the island. He dies immediately after landing, perhaps a result of the impact or a gunshot wound. Samneric discover the pilot’s body the following day as they collect firewood on the mountain. Since Samneric believe a beast lives in the jungle, they become convinced the dead pilot is the beast and dash back to the shelters to alert the others.

Ralph and Samneric convene a meeting to break the news to the rest of the boys. Without further ado, Jack calls upon the hunters to join him on a trek to find and kill the “beast.” Holding the conch close to him, Piggy argues against the hunt, saying that the boys should stick together to deter the beast from approaching them. However, no one can stop Jack from hunting, and even Ralph concedes defeat and joins him. Piggy chooses to remain behind with the littluns.

Ralph splits from the group as soon as they reach where they expect to find the beast, claiming that he wants to venture out alone. Jack joins him. When they get to the mountain, Ralph expresses concern about maintaining the signal fire. Although the others are not as supportive as he wishes, they ultimately agree to his request. After kindling the fire, they continue with the hunt, Jack at the forefront.

Analysis

The battle over the island proves that the world beyond it is no more civilized than the boys’ nascent society. Although more should be expected of adults, through warfare they have turned into beasts, rising against one another and killing their fellow kind. The war taking place outside the island parallels the emerging conflict within it between civilization and savagery. Sadly, the latter may be winning. Perhaps the boys are no better off back home than they are on the island.

As shown by Samneric confusing the dead pilot’s body for the beast, fear exacerbates irrational judgment. The power of mass panic becomes evident when all the boys believe the story of the beast, except Ralph and Simon. Although Jack presents himself as a savior of the group, the fact that he does not believe in the beast suggests ulterior motives. Jack knows fear can win him admiration, and thus he leverages the idea of a beast for his own benefit. Since he feels that Ralph’s rules have lost their relevance, he decides to break them whenever he wants, and sets new standards, like deciding who should or should not speak.

Although Ralph joins the hunters, his participation is halfhearted. He uses it as an opportunity to urge the boys to assist him in rekindling the fire. Ralph's undying desire is to build a society where order and purpose prevail. However, the overwhelming power of fear derails the rest of the boys from the sensible choice to keep the fire alive. They are reluctant and do not know what will happen to them in the future, but Ralph tries hard to instill some hope in them. There is no denying the fact that while Jack shines when facing fearful situations, Ralph excels in creating order and safety.

But again, fear is a more effective emotion to prompt action in the boys. It affects even the most rational and intelligent of them, Piggy. Very few people can withstand the power of fear. In fact, the boys embrace fear so much that they forget their primary purpose of surviving and escaping the island. As they do, their circumstances become bleak. The boys indulge their fear so much that their chances of safely getting of the island diminish.

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