The story setting is a tropical island, where an abundance of school boys have crash landed. The pilot of the plane is suspected to be dead, and there are no other adults on the island. The main character Ralph, and his newly found acquaintance Piggy, try to set up an order of things, they find a conch on the beach they are on and round up the boys together using it's bellowing trumpet-like call. They conform and suggest ideas. The choir boys, being the largest group of elder boys, are in charge of hunting, keeping an eye out for boats and planes, and starting a fire that the boats and planes can see. The rest of the boys usually just get odd jobs like gathering firewood, searching for fruits, and help build shelters. But as they are adolescents, they end up with many problems. No one helps build shelters, people loose focus of their duties, tasks and jobs. Also, a rumor has been going around of a strange and terrifying being in the woods with them, a "beastie". First pointed out by a small child named Simon, the very thought of the idea was pushed to the back of everybody's mind. But as time goes on, all the boys start to notice an eerie feeling of being watched. Tensions grow and mild hunger start to get to the boys, and Jack, head of the boy's choir, starts using his power to convince the elder boys to break off and start a small clan of their own, and anyone else who wishes to join. Ralph looses his power as chief slowly, until no one is left on his side besides Piggy, who agrees with his practical views.
William Golding. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.
Author Bio
William Golding was born September 19th, 1911 in Saint Columb, Cornwall, England. His mother was an activist for the Woman's Suffrage Movement, and his father was a schoolmaster. William had been interested in literature since the age of seven, and even attempted to write a novel at age twelve. Although he had originally planned to study science, he abandoned this plan and took up a degree in English Literature. At age twenty two, he published his first book, Poems, which it's title suggests, is a book of collective poems written by himself. He graduated from Oxford University in 1935, after which he became a schoolmaster like his father in Salisbury, Wiltshire.His teaching was interrupted when he was called into the British Royal navyduring the outbreak of World War II Lieutenant Golding served for five years and saw active duty when he was commanding a rocket launching craft. Many years later in 1983, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for being the most well known and influential British writers for the second half of the 20th century. Sadly, he died June 19th, 1993. In Perranarworthal, Cornwall, England.
Plot Summary
The story setting is a tropical island, where an abundance of school boys have crash landed. The pilot of the plane is suspected to be dead, and there are no other adults on the island. The main character Ralph, and his newly found acquaintance Piggy, try to set up an order of things, they find a conch on the beach they are on and round up the boys together using it's bellowing trumpet-like call. They conform and suggest ideas. The choir boys, being the largest group of elder boys, are in charge of hunting, keeping an eye out for boats and planes, and starting a fire that the boats and planes can see. The rest of the boys usually just get odd jobs like gathering firewood, searching for fruits, and help build shelters. But as they are adolescents, they end up with many problems. No one helps build shelters, people loose focus of their duties, tasks and jobs. Also, a rumor has been going around of a strange and terrifying being in the woods with them, a "beastie". First pointed out by a small child named Simon, the very thought of the idea was pushed to the back of everybody's mind. But as time goes on, all the boys start to notice an eerie feeling of being watched. Tensions grow and mild hunger start to get to the boys, and Jack, head of the boy's choir, starts using his power to convince the elder boys to break off and start a small clan of their own, and anyone else who wishes to join. Ralph looses his power as chief slowly, until no one is left on his side besides Piggy, who agrees with his practical views._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Author Bio
William Golding was born September 19th, 1911 in Saint Columb, Cornwall, England. His mother was an activist for the Woman's Suffrage Movement, and his father was a schoolmaster. William had been interested in literature since the age of seven, and even attempted to write a novel at age twelve. Although he had originally planned to study science, he abandoned this plan and took up a degree in English Literature. At age twenty two, he published his first book, Poems, which it's title suggests, is a book of collective poems written by himself. He graduated from Oxford University in 1935, after which he became a schoolmaster like his father in Salisbury, Wiltshire.His teaching was interrupted when he was called into the British Royal navyduring the outbreak of World War II Lieutenant Golding served for five years and saw active duty when he was commanding a rocket launching craft. Many years later in 1983, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for being the most well known and influential British writers for the second half of the 20th century. Sadly, he died June 19th, 1993. In Perranarworthal, Cornwall, England.Giving Credit:
http://www.notablebiographies.com/Gi-He/Golding-William.html