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Lord of the Flies | Study Guide

William Golding

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Course Hero. "Lord of the Flies Study Guide." Course Hero. 15 Sep. 2016. Web. 7 June 2023. <https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Lord-of-the-Flies/>.

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Course Hero. (2016, September 15). Lord of the Flies Study Guide. In Course Hero. Retrieved June 7, 2023, from https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Lord-of-the-Flies/

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Course Hero. "Lord of the Flies Study Guide." September 15, 2016. Accessed June 7, 2023. https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Lord-of-the-Flies/.

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Course Hero, "Lord of the Flies Study Guide," September 15, 2016, accessed June 7, 2023, https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Lord-of-the-Flies/.

Lord of the Flies | Chapter Summaries

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Timeline of Events

  • Day one

    The boys' plane crashes, and they land on the island.

    Chapter 1
  • The next day

    Rules are established; Ralph is chosen chief; Jack is appointed head of the hunters.

    Chapter 2
  • A few weeks later

    The signal fire is not lit as a boat goes by. Jack and his hunters kill their first pig.

    Chapter 4
  • A few weeks later

    Samneric discover what they think is the beast.

    Chapter 6
  • Same day

    Ralph joins Jack and the hunters in a search for the beast, which they find.

    Chapter 7
  • The next day

    Jack calls for a vote for a new chief. When he loses he runs away to form his own group.

    Chapter 8
  • The next day

    Simon talks to and names the Lord of the Flies. He learns the truth about the beast.

    Chapter 8
  • The next day

    The boys mistake Simon for the beast and kill him in a gruesome manner.

    Chapter 9
  • Two days later

    Piggy is murdered, Samneric are taken prisoner, and Ralph is left alone.

    Chapter 11
  • The next day

    Running to escape the fire Jack has set, Ralph reaches the beach and meets the naval officer.

    Chapter 12

Chapter Summaries Chart

Chapter Summary
Chapter 1 The novel begins with Ralph making his way down to a lagoon. There he meets Piggy, who is going to the same place. Throu... Read More
Chapter 2 Upon returning, Ralph calls everyone together for a meeting using the conch. Ralph tells them that they are on an uninha... Read More
Chapter 3 Jack is by himself in the forest, stalking a pig. He throws his spear at the pig, but he misses it. He goes back to the ... Read More
Chapter 4 Mornings are pleasant for the boys, but middays are strange. Mirages and illusions arise. The end of the afternoon is al... Read More
Chapter 5 Ralph is on the beach in deep thought. He contemplates how he wants the assembly to go. When it begins, Ralph says they ... Read More
Chapter 6 On a dark night with only a sliver of a moon, while the boys sleep there is an air battle in the sky above the island. O... Read More
Chapter 7 Ralph dreams of cleaning himself up. Looking out into the ocean, he feels condemned to remain on the island forever. Sim... Read More
Chapter 8 Ralph tells Piggy what they saw, which he identifies as the beast, but Piggy can hardly believe it. Jack says the hunter... Read More
Chapter 9 Simon awakens from his fit and leaves the area of the Lord of the Flies. He ascends the mountain and recognizes that wha... Read More
Chapter 10 The next morning, Piggy and Ralph are on the beach and realize they, along with Samneric and the littluns, are the only ... Read More
Chapter 11 The next morning, Ralph and his crew find they cannot light a fire without Piggy's glasses. Ralph blows the conch at the... Read More
Chapter 12 Ralph, whose body is bruised and scratched in many places, is hiding in the forest not far from Castle Rock. He recogniz... Read More
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