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He discovered with a little fall of the heart that these were the conditions he took as normal now and that he did not mind.
Here, Ralph observes how dirty and unkempt the boys have become during their stay on the island. He notices the leaves stuck in their long, tangled hair, and their fraying clothes, which are falling apart and stiff with sweat. It hits him that they've all become used to this state of being, a realization that depresses him and underlines how long they've been apart from civilization.
Read important quotes about the island and how the boys change while living there.
Robert snarled at him. Ralph entered into the play and everybody laughed. Presently they were all jabbing at Robert who made mock rushes… The circle moved in and round. Robert squealed in mock terror, then in real pain… The butt end of a spear fell on his back as he blundered among them.
This passage depicts the boys’ hunting game, which transforms from light-hearted into dangerously real as they attack Robert in a frenzy, blurring the line between play and violence. Their laughter and excitement reveal how easy it is for them to lose control and unleash the savagery that lies just beneath their thin veneer of civility. Golding uses this moment to foreshadow the group’s later acts of brutality against Simon and Piggy.
Read more about the theme of Civilization vs Savagery.
By now, Ralph had no self-consciousness in public thinking but would treat the day’s decisions as though he were playing chess. The only trouble was that he would never be a very good chess player.
Forced into a leadership role, Ralph tries to think logically, weighing each move like a chess game. But he's still a child in many ways, and his skills have their limits. However well-intentioned, clever, and good-hearted he is, he isn't prepared to go up against Jack's manipulation and aggression.
