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No Fear Translations of Shakespeare’s plays (along with audio!) and other classic works
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Piggy was surrounded before he could back away. “Here – let me go!” His voice rose to a shriek of terror as Jack snatched the glasses off his face. “Mind out! Give ‘em back! I can hardly see! You’ll break the conch!”
Here, Piggy panics when Jack takes his glasses to start the signal fire. The scene underscores Piggy’s vulnerability; once the other boys spot his physical weaknesses (such as poor sight, asthma, and an unhealthy weight), they begin to view him as a potential target for bullying, rather than a valuable member of their new society.
Read an in-depth analysis of Piggy.
“We’ve got to have special people for looking after the fire. Any day there may be a ship out there” – he waved his arm at the taut wire of the horizon – “and if we have a signal going they’ll come and take us off. And another thing. We ought to have more rules. Where the conch is, that’s a meeting. The same up here as down there.”
This quote highlights Ralph's determination to be rescued, and to create an orderly "society" while the boys wait for help to arrive. He believes in the concept of law and order, and thinks that rules will play an essential role in the boys' survival.
Read more about Ralph as the novel's protagonist.
Beneath the dark canopy of leaves and smoke the fire laid hold on the forest and began to gnaw. Acres of black and yellow smoke rolled steadily toward the sea. At the sight of the flames and the irresistible course of the fire, the boys broke into shrill, excited cheering.
When the boys’ attempt to build a signal fire quickly gets out of control and sets part of the forest ablaze, their cheers reveal their immaturity and lack of foresight. They view the dangerous flames as exciting, rather than recognizing their potential for destruction.
Read important quotes about the signal fire.
“That little ‘un that had a mark on his face – where is he now? I tell you I don’t see him.” The boys looked at each other fearfully, unbelieving.
Piggy gasps this in a panic as the boys watch their first attempt at a signal fire—which is now dangerously out of control—sweep through the jungle. He's the first person to realize that the little boy is missing and has likely been killed by the blaze, and the rest of the group is horrified.
