Ad-free experience
Study Guides for 1,000+ titles
Full Text content for 250+ titles
No Fear Translations of Shakespeare’s plays (along with audio!) and other classic works
Flashcards
Mastery Quizzes
Infographics
Graphic Novels
AP® Practice & Lessons
Note-taking
Bookmarking
Dashboard
“Sucks to your ass-mar!”
Despite having struck up a cautious friendship with him, Ralph says this to Piggy very early on the novel, mocking his asthma (“ass-mar”) and immediately singling Piggy out as weak and different.
Read more about how this quote foreshadows Piggy's eventual death.
In color the shell was deep cream, touched here and there with fading pink. Between the point, worn away into a little hole, and the pink lips of the mouth, lay eighteen inches of shell with a slight spiral twist and covered with a delicate, embossed pattern.
By giving an unusually detailed description of the conch shell, Golding signals that it will be an object of importance in the novel.
Read more about the conch shell as a symbol.
The toy of voting was almost as pleasing as the conch. Jack started to protest but the clamor changed from the general wish for a chief to an election by acclaim of Ralph himself.
When the stranded boys first attempt to establish order by choosing a leader, they initially treat the election like a game. Ralph's calm and confident attitude, as well as his ownership of the conch, convinces the group to choose him over Jack, who comes across as aggressive and harsh.
Immured in these tangles, at perhaps their most difficult moment, Ralph turned with shining eyes to the others… The cause of their pleasure was not obvious. All three were hot, dirty, and exhausted. Ralph was badly scratched. The creepers were as thick as their thighs and left little but tunnels for further penetration.
This quote describes Ralph, Jack, and Simon clambering through the dense jungle to explore the island. Even though they are scratched, sweaty, and tired, Ralph feels exhilarated, illustrating how the boys initially view their situation as an adventure.
