Lord of the Flies Ch. 12 Litblog

Mary Ann MacDonald
Period 5
1-22-13

Chapter 12

 

Summary: Ralph lays in the covert and sneaks up Castle Rock to talk to Samneric. They give him meat and tell him that the tribe is planning to hunt him tomorrow. Ralph finds the pig's head and smashes it. Ralph decides to hide in the thicket by the Rock and tells Samneric to keep the tribe away from it. The next day, Samneric are forced to give him up and a rock is launched at Ralph and the thicket set on fire. Ralph runs and hides again in Simon's old hiding spot and is discovered and runs until he gets back to the beach where he and the other boys find an officer with a ship and the boys are rescued.

Quotation: "... otherwise the thing was lifeless. Or was it?... Little pricks of sensation ran up and down his back... The skull regarded Ralph like one who knows all the answers and won't tell..." (185).

Quotation Significance: Ralph finds the pig's head and feels like it is almost alive and feels like the skull has answers that it won't tell him. Ralph senses something weird about the pig's head and smashes it. This is maybe symbolic of savagery starting to be broken from the boys and is symbolizing their return to society.

Reflection: This final chapter of Lord of the Flies was really good. Samneric start off on Ralph's side but they are heard by a tribe member and Roger and Jack force them to give Ralph up. Samneric and Ralph are the only ones on the island with any inkling of society left. Ralph outsmarts the boys and in the end the boys are rescued. The savagery is broken in them when the pig's head is smashed by Ralph, which helped to rid the beast in side of them and also when they lay eyes on the officer. After they run into the officer the boys start to cry. When the pig's head is smashed, the feeling of savagery leaves the boys and they are starting to replace this feeling with being civil. Even Jack feels this and accepts the rules of society at the end of the story. Overall, this was a terrific book I would recommend for anyone and I will definitely read it again.

Discussion Question: Do you think that the breaking of the pig's head was symbolic? Do you think that the boys will re-adjust easily to civilization?