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Jack himself shrank at this cry with a hiss of indrawn breath, and for a minute became less a hunter than a furtive thing, ape-like among the tangle of trees.
Here, Jack becomes so absorbed in the hunt that he seems more like an animal than a human. The imagery hints at the boys’ gradual transformation from orderly and civilized to primal and predatory.
Read more about the theme of Civilization versus Savagery.
They walked along, two continents of experience and feeling, unable to communicate.
This line describes Ralph and Jack walking down the beach together after an argument in which Ralph insists that building shelters and a signal fire were far more important than hunting for pigs (a task that Jack is obsessed with). The quote emphasizes the growing divide between them, foreshadowing the clash between civilization and savagery that will ultimately tear the group apart.
Read more about why Jack and Ralph don't get along.
He squatted down, parted the leaves and looked out into the clearing. Nothing moved but a pair of gaudy butterflies that danced round each other in the hot air. Holding his breath he cocked a critical ear at the sounds of the island. Evening was advancing toward the island; the sounds of the bright fantastic birds, the bee-sounds, even the crying of the gulls that were returning to their roosts among the square rocks, were fainter.
In this scene at the end of the chapter, Simon discovers a peaceful glade in the midst of the chaotic jungle. As the most introspective and sensitive boy on the island, Simon appreciates the beauty of nature and feels a unique connection to the natural world.
