46 pages • 1 hour read
William GoldingLord of the Flies
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 1954A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 10-11Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 10 Summary: “The Shell and the Glasses”
Along the beach, after the death of Simon, Ralph and Piggy try to decide what to do. All they can think of is to keep the fire going and hope for rescue. Piggy tells Ralph not to let on that they were part of the dance that murdered Simon. Piggy says it was an accident. Near the Castle Rock, Jack has had one of his hunters beaten. He proclaimsthat the beast is still out there and that they didn’t kill it. His face is painted, and he points with his spear. He says they will steal more fire later that night. Back at the beach, Ralph realizes they can’t always keep the fire burning. He doesn’t know that Jack and his hunters will be coming to steal fire, so when it goes out, Jack’s men attack Piggy in the dark and take his glasses. None of them can see, so Ralph and Eric don’t realize they were only fighting each other while Jack and his men got away.
Chapter 11 Summary: “Castle Rock”
Near dawn, Ralph, Piggy, Sam, and Eric realize the fire is out. Piggy can’t see. They decide to go after Piggy’s glasses, and to tell the others they have to keep a fire lit. Ralph and Piggy plan on reasoning with Jack, but once they get there, they are stopped on a narrow ledge outside Castle Rock. Above them, Roger challenges them. He has one hand on the lever that will release the big rock. Ralph tries reasoning with them, but Roger says he can’t let them in. When Jack appears, he and Ralph begin to fight with spears. Piggy and Ralph plead for law and order over hunting and killing, but Jack has worked his hunters into a frenzy. They tie up Sam and Eric, then Roger releases the big rock, which falls and shatters the conch, knocking Piggy forty feet down onto the rocks to his death. The ocean bubbles up and claims him, and Ralph flees into the jungle while the hunters hurl spears after him.
Chapters 10-11 Analysis
After the death of Simon, Ralph has trouble thinking. He often can’t remember why they need the fire until Piggy reminds him. The death of Simon was both symbolic and ironic in that while trying to kill the beast, they made themselves into beasts. Subsequently, Ralph struggles to remember about the fire, their symbol of civilization. It is the fire that gives them hope and comfort, and Ralph has trouble remembering hope and comfort. As a last-ditch effort to bring order back to the island after the hunters steal Piggy’s glasses, the only way they can make fire, Ralph and Piggy decide to try to reason with Jack. They go to Castle Rock to plead for Piggy’s glasses and for fire, essentially pleading for hope, for rescue, and for a return to civilization. Jack and his hunters are painted like savages and have turned into savages themselves. They refuse Ralph’s request as they do not want to be rescued. The hunters have been liberated by the paint, which conceals their civilized natures and allows them to turn to savagery. Even the conch has little power over them. When Roger releases the rock, shattering the conch and killing Piggy, their descent into savagery is complete.
