Hola

Lord of the Flies Chapter 1 Summary
* As the novel opens, “the fair boy” makes his way out of a jungle and toward a lagoon.
* A red and yellow bird flashes upward with a witch-like cry (eerie, isn’t it?) just as another youngster, “the fat boy” who is wearing “thick spectacles” follows behind.
* The two boys meet and discuss the fact that, holy smokes, their plane has crashed.
*The fat boy wonders where the man with the megaphone is, which we should all keep in mind for the next few paragraphs.
* Also, there are no grown-ups.
* Also, they can’t find the plane or the pilot. The fair boy concludes that both must have been dragged out to sea by a storm. He makes the dire statement that “There must have been some kids still in it,” “it” being the plane that went outto sea.
* The fat boy (we’re not being judgmental – that’s what he’s called) asks the fair boy (again, that's what he’s called) what his name is.
* It is Ralph. Ralph has no interesting in learning the fat boy’s name.
* But, the pair assumes others have survived and are around here somewhere, perhaps hiding in the copious foliage or something.
* The fat boy lags behind Ralph becauseof his “ass-mar,” which is probably “asthma.” Also, the fat boy has to poo. (English major-y people called this kind of thing “realism.”)
* Ralph races ahead to the water, and we get a detailed description of the shore, the palm trees, the coarse grass, and the decaying coconuts. This is all in contrast to “the darkness of the forest.”
* Ralph decides the thing to do is have a swim. So hegets naked. Many more naked boys to come, by the way, so be prepared.
* While we’re busy getting a description of Ralph, the fat boy shows up and joins in the nude swimming fun. The water is “warmer than [their] blood [. . .] like swimming in a huge bath.” (So, a delightful hot tub, if you ignore the blood imagery.)
* We get a nice description of Ralph; he is twelve and has the build ofmaybe being a boxer someday when he’s older, but you can also plainly see that there is “no devil” in him. Lastly, he has “bright, excited eyes.”
* The fat boy admits to Ralph that most people call him “Piggy,” and asks Ralph not to tell anyone.
* Ralph is not the nicest guy to Piggy (“They call you PIGGY!?” sort of thing), but we’re holding out judgment on him since he is, after all, atwelve-year-old boy.
* Ralph claims that his father, who is in the Navy, is going to come rescue them.
* Piggy, however, says the pilot told them (before the crash) that an atomic bomb had gone off and everyone was dead.
* This, combined with the earlier megaphone comment, suggests that perhaps the boys were being evacuated, maybe even from some kind of war zone, when the plane crashed.* Anyway, Piggy asserts that they are probably going to have to “stay here till [they] die.”
* On this cheerful note, they decide to put their clothes back on. In doing so, they find a large white conch shell, which Piggy remembers is a faux, MacGyver-style megaphone.
* Ralph makes several efforts before an amazing sound comes out of the shell, “a deep, harsh boom.”
* As you mightexpect, man has ruined the peaceful stillness of the virgin island.
* Amidst the squawking birds and scurrying furry things, the other boys come out of the woodwork. Some are small. Many are naked.
* While Ralph continues to revel in the “violent pleasure” of blowing the conch, Piggy goes to great lengths to ask and learn everyone’s name, among them a young child named Johnny and a pair oftwins named Sam and Eric.
* Ralph sees a dark, fumbling creature, but concludes that it is only a group of boys wearing black choir robes. There is a red-headed boy at the head of the pack “controlling them.”
* The boy commands them all to stand in a line. We’re thinking it must be rather uncomfortable in the sun to be wearing heavy, black cloaks, and our suspicions are confirmed when...