LOF

LORD OF THE FLIES

An adaptation of a novel
by William Golding

1

Book # ________

Characters:
Ralph: One of the older children. He is elected chief. Blond, athletic, handsome.
Piggy: Older child who sides with Ralph. Fat, short sparse hair, asthma,
Jack: Older child who wants to be chief. Red, Freckles, Ugly
Roger: Older child; Dark Hair and eyes
Simon: Older Child, Back hair, fair, looks almost Christ-like
Sam and Eric: Twins who side with Ralph
Percival: A littlun who is so ugly even his mother finds his face unattractive.

Other Tribe/Choir members
Other Littluns- the youngest of all the boys.
The Beast/Beastie

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Scene One: The Sound of the Shell

A boy with light hair walks along the beach. Around him is the destruction caused by the plane crash. It looks
as if the plane wounded the island--causing a scar. Trailing behind him is a short, fat boy with thick spectacles.

PIGGY: Hi! Wait a minute. I can’t see with all these creeper things. Where is the man with the megaphone?

The blond boy shakes his head.

RALPH: This is an island. At least, I think it is an island. That’s a reef out in the sea. Perhaps there aren’t
any grownups anywhere. There was a pilot but he was up front when we...

PIGGY: All them other kids. Some of them must have got out. They must have, mustn’t they? Aren’t there
any grownups at all?

RALPH: I don’t think so. No grownups. No grownups!

The blond boy grins and does a handstand in the sand. The fat boy shakes his head and sits on the sand.

PIGGY: We was attacked. When we was coming down I looked through one of them windows. I saw the
other side of the plane. There were flames coming out of it. I don’t see it anywhere. I think the
storm dragged it out to sea. What’s your name?

RALPH: My name is Ralph.

Ralph begins to walk quickly away. The fat boy chases after him. The fat boy’s breathing is hard and he gasps
for breath.

PIGGY: My auntie told me not to run on account of my asthma.

RALPH: Ass-mar?

PIGGY: That’s right. Can’t catch my breath. I was the only boy in school with asthma. And I’ve been
wearing specs since I was three.

Ralph continues to explore the island as the fat boy follows him. He stops for a moment to look as some fruit
and moves on. He begins to remove parts of his school uniform, which include shoe, stockings, shorts and
pants, a belt with snakehead clasp. The boy is about twelve years old. He has the look of a school athlete and
the build of a future boxer. The fat boy talks out loud-- half to Ralph and half to himself.

PIGGY: I expect we’ll want to know all of their names. And make a list. We ought to have a meeting. (He
whispers) I don’t care what they call me so long as they don’t call me what they used to call me at
school.

RALPH: What was that?

PIGGY: They used to call me ...Piggy.

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Ralph jumps up and starts to shriek with laughter.

RALPH: Piggy! Piggy! Piggy?

PIGGY: So long as you don’t tell the others--

Ralph is distracted by the sight of a lagoon. Ralph plunges in and begins to swim with casual ease. Piggy
undresses. He carefully lays his clothes along a rock. He tests the water with one toe.

PIGGY: Oh! The water is hot! I didn’t expect the water to be so hot. My auntie--

RALPH: Sucks to your auntie. Aren’t you going swim?

PIGGY: I can’t swim. I wasn’t allowed. My asthma--

RALPH: Sucks to your ass-mar. I could swim since I was five. Daddy taught me. He’s a commander in the
Navy. He is going to come and rescue us. What’s your father do?

PIGGY: My dad’s dead. And my mum. I used to live with my auntie. She had a candy store. I used to get
ever so many candies. As many as I liked. How is your dad going to come and rescue us if he
doesn’t know that we are here?

RALPH: They will tell him at the airport.

Piggy shakes his head.

PIGGY: Not them. Not at the airport. Didn’t you hear what the pilot said before we was attacked? About the
atom bomb? Everyone else is dead and we’re stuck here on an island. We may stay here until we
die!

Ralph and Piggy continue to discuss their situation. Something catches Ralph’s eye. It was creamy and shiny
and peaked out from under the weeds. At first, Ralph thinks it is a large stone, then he announces it is a shell.
Piggy begins to jump up and down.

PIGGY: That’s right. It’s a shell. I have seen one like that before. On someone’s back wall. A conch he
called it. He used to blow it and his mum would come. It is ever so valuable. Be careful you might
break it.

RALPH: Shut up!

PIGGY: It is ever so valuable. Ralph! You could use it to call everyone. We could have a meeting.

RALPH: How did your friend blow the conch?

PIGGY: He sort of spat in it. My auntie wouldn’t let me blow it because of my asthma. He blew it from the
bottom of his belly. You do it, Ralph. We can have a meeting.

Ralph blows into the conch. A low farting noise comes out. The boys begin to laugh. Ralph tries again and a
loud booming noise echoes throughout the island. Ralph continues to blow the conch. The sound sends the
island into an uproar. Birds fly into the sky. The screeches can be heard all around. A small boy walks out of

4

the trees. He is about five or six and his trousers have been lowered for an obvious purpose. As he tries to pull
them up, he falls. Piggy helps him up.

PIGGY: What’s your name?

JOHNNY: Johnny.

Boys begin to appear. Most are young and some are only slightly older. A set of twins marches up to Piggy
and say their names are Sam and Eric. Piggy looks at them and concentrates on remembering who is Sam and
who is Eric. In the distance, there appears an approaching creature that resembles a giant bat. Ralph sees it
first and squints his eyes to see more clearly. As the creature moves nearer, it becomes a group of boys
marching in lines. They are dressed in cloaks and caps. Just as they move close to Ralph, a small boy
collapses on the sand. The boys help him up. Their leader looks directly at Ralph. He is tall, thin, and bony.
Red hair sticks out from beneath his cap. His face was crumpled and wrinkled, ugly without silliness.

JACK: Where’s the man with the trumpet?

RALPH: There is no man with the trumpet. Only me. There are no adults. We are having a meeting. Join
us.

The boys who had been in line begin to scatter and move towards Ralph. Jack’s face goes pale.

JACK: Choir! Stand still!

The choir goes back into line. They mumble slightly. A few boys point to the boy who remains on the sand.

JACK: Alright then. Sit down then. But leave Simon alone--he’s always throwing a faint. So there aren’t
any grownups. We’ll just have to take care of ourselves.

PIGGY: That’s why Ralph called a meeting. So we can think about what to do. We’ve got names. That’s
Johnny. Those two are twins. Which of you is Sam? And that one over there...

JACK: You’re talking too much. Shut up, fatty!

The boys laugh.

RALPH: He’s not fatty. His real name is Piggy.

A storm of laughter arises and even the tiniest boy joins in. The name Piggy is screamed over and over. After
the laughter dies, other boys begin to introduce themselves. There is Maurice who is older. There is a slight
boy who kept a distance away. He mutters his name is Roger and turns away. There was Bill, Robert, Harold,
and Henry.

JACK: We got to decide on how we can be rescued.

The boys begin to talk at the same time. Ralph says for everyone to shut-up but they continue. He holds up the
conch and they begin to quiet, turning their attention to him.

RALPH: Seems to me we ought to have a chief to decide things.

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JACK: I should be chief. I am head boy in the choir and I can sing a C sharp.

ROGER: We should have a vote for chief.

The boys begin to shout, looking for someone who could be chief. A few look at Ralph, remembering that he
had been the one to call them to the beach. Fingers point at Ralph as he looks on in surprise. Jack frowns and
his skin turns white.

RALPH: All right. Who wants to vote Jack as chief?

A few hands reluctantly rise in the air.

RALPH: Who wants me for chief?

Many hands are raised.
RALPH: I’m chief then. Jack, the choir belongs to you, of course. You’re in charge of them. They can be

an army or hunters.

JACK: They will be my hunters. I tried to get over that hill to see if there was water all around, but the shell
called us.

Ralph smiles and holds up the shell. Everyone goes silent.
RALPH: Listen, everybody. I’ve got to have time to think things out. We’ve got to find out if this is an

island. Everyone must stay here and not run off. Three of us will go off on an expedition. I will go
and Jack and...

Ralph looks around at the group of anxious boys. There is something about the boy who fainted that gets his
attention.

RALPH: And you. Your name is Simon, right? You will come, too.

Simon stares up at Ralph and nods. He is a skinny and vivid little boy with long black hair. Jack comes up and
jams a knife he had been carrying into a tree stump. The three boys begin to walk away. Piggy follows.
PIGGY: I’ll come.
RALPH: You won’t be good at a job like this.

PIGGY: All the same--
JACK: We don’t want you. Three is enough.

PIGGY: I was with him when he found the conch! I was with him before anyone else was.
RALPH: You can’t come.
PIGGY: You told them. You told them after what I said. After I said I didn’t want...

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RALPH: What on Earth are you talking about?
PIGGY: About being called Piggy! I said I didn’t care what you called me as long as you didn’t call me

Piggy. I said not to tell and you went and said straight out--
RALPH: Better Piggy than fatty. And anyway, I’m sorry if you feel like that. Now go back and take names,

Piggy. That’s your job. So long.
The three boys marched in a line with Simon, the shorter boy, walking in the middle. The trio explored for
hours.
When they decided they were on a deserted island a feeling of happiness and freedom spread through them.
They spent the next hours as boys, playing and tumbling. They came across a cliff of pink granite. Near the
edge was a large stone. The boys pushed and leaned until the stone fell and smashed a great hole in the
canopy of the forest. It was five minutes before their shouts of triumph died away. After a while, Jack spoke.
JACK: We’ll get food. Hunt. Catch things. Until they come get us.
SIMON: I’m hungry.
RALPH: Come on then. We’ve found what we needed to know.
The boys walked until they were at the start of forest. A series of squeals caught their attention. They moved
closer with caution until they found a piglet caught struggling among the creepers. The boys rushed forward
and Jack drew his knife with a flourish. He raised his arm in the air and paused. In this time the piglet was
able to break free. Jack’s face was white under his freckles. The boys laughed to cover their shame.
JACK: I...was...choosing a place. I was just waiting for the right moment to decide where to stab it.
RALPH: You should stick a pig. People are always talking about sticking a pig.
JACK: You have to cut the throat to let the blood out. Otherwise you can’t eat the meat.
RALPH: Well why didn’t you?
Although it was not spoken, the boys knew the answer. It was the idea of the knife descending into flesh. It was
all the blood that would have been spilt.
JACK: I was going to. I was just choosing a place. Next time--!
Jack snatches the knife out of the sheath and slammed it into a tree trunk. He looks around fiercely, daring
them to challenge.

7

Chapter 1: CHARACTER What is going on in the mind of
Piggy________________________________________________________________________________
Jack_________________________________________________________________________________
Ralph________________________________________________________________________________
SYMBOLISM
The “scar” represents______________________________________________________________________
The conch represents______________________________________________________________________
THEME
Choice_________________________________________________________________________________

Reason_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________

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Scene Two: Fire on the Mountain

It was mid-afternoon when Ralph called another meeting. By this time the boys are feeling the pain of sunburn.
Ralph sits on a fallen log. To his right sits the choir. To his left are the older boys. The young ones are
scattered in the middle.

RALPH: We’re on an island. We’ve been to the mountaintop and seen water all around. We saw no houses,
smoke, footprints, boats or people. We are on an uninhabited island.

JACK: All the same, we need an army --for hunting. Hunting pigs--

RALPH: Yes. There are pigs on this island.

JACK: We saw it squealing. It got away before I could kill it--but--next time.

Jack slams his knife into a tree and looks around challengingly.

RALPH: So you see, we need hunters to get us meat and another thing: there aren’t any grownups. We shall
have to watch after ourselves. The first thing is we can’t all be talking at once. We will have to do
the hands-up thing like at school. Then I will give him this--the conch. He can hold it while he is
speaking.

JACK: But-
RALPH: And whoever holds the shell won’t be interrupted--except by me.
JACK: We’ll have rules! Lots of them! And when anyone breaks them Whee--oh, Wacco, Bong, Doink!
Piggy lifts the shell from Ralph’s lap. Piggy takes off his glasses and wipes them with his shirt.

PIGGY: You’re hindering Ralph. You’re not letting him get to the most important thing. Who knows where
here? Nobody. Perhaps somebody knew where we were going to, but we never got there. The plane
we were on was shot down in flames and no one knows we are here. We may be here for a long
time.

RALPH: But this is a good island. Jack, Simon, and me climbed the mountain. It’s wizard. There’s food and
drink and...this is our island. Until the grownups come to fetch us-- we will have fun.

Jack holds his hand out for the conch.
JACK: There are pigs. There’s bathing water in the little stream. Did anybody find anything else?

The older boys first notice the little boy. They urge him forward. He was a shrimp of a thing with a mulberry-
colored birthmark across the entire side of his face. He moves toward Ralph and holds his hands out for the
conch. Everyone laughs. The small boy begins to mutter and cry.

PIGGY: Let him have the conch.

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Piggy takes the conch and places it in the boy’s hands. The boy whispers something in Piggy’s ear.

PIGGY: He wants to know what you are going to do about the snake-thing.

RALPH: Tell us about the snake thing.

PIGGY: He says it was a beastie. A snake thing. Ever so big. He saw it.

RALPH: Where?

PIGGY: In the woods.

RALPH: You couldn’t have a beastie or a snake thing on an island this size. They only live in places like
Africa or India.

PIGGY: He says he saw the snake thing in the dark.

RALPH: Then he couldn’t see it.

PIGGY: He says he saw the beastie. It came in the dark, left, and came back. It wanted to eat him.

RALPH: He must have been dreaming, having a nightmare. It must have been all that wandering around in the
creepers.

PIGGY: He says he saw it and wants to know if it will come back tonight.

RALPH: But there isn’t a Beastie!

JACK: Ralph’s right, of course. There isn’t a snake thing. But if there were a snake, we’d hunt it and kill it.
We are going to hunt pigs and get meat for everybody. And we’ll look for the snake too.

RALPH: But I tell you there isn’t a Beastie! Now, we come to the most important thing. I’ve been thinking
while we were climbing the mountain and while we were on the beach just now. We want to have
fun and we want to be rescued.

Everyone speaks at the same time with great excitement. Ralph waves the conch in the air in an attempt to
make everyone hear him.

RALPH: Of course we will be rescued. My father’s in the Navy. He said there aren’t any unknown islands
left. And sooner or later a ship will come here. It might even be daddy’s ship.

Spontaneously, the boys begin to clap. Ralph blushes and looks at Piggy. Jack too claps but it is more of a
demonstration of one who knows how to clap. Ralph again waves the conch.

RALPH: Listen! We can help them to find us. If a ship comes near the island, they may not notice us. So we
must make smoke on top of the mountain. We must make a fire.

The boys jump up screaming “Make a fire. Make a fire.” Jack clamored behind them. The conch forgotten,
Ralph is left alone with Piggy who lifts up the shell.

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PIGGY: Like kids! They’re acting like a pack of kids. I bet it is tea time back home. What do they think they
are going to do on top of that mountain?

Piggy looks at the shell and runs his finger over the edge. By the time he looks up, Ralph is running off to
follow the others. He gets up, straightens his clothes and walks slowly towards the mountain. He mutters
over and over that everyone is acting like a crowd of kids.

***

On the top of the mountain, the boys were collecting a pile of wood. Even the smallest boys threw on small
pieces and sticks. All worked except for Piggy. Most of the wood was so rotten that when touched, it broke
apart into fragments of wood lice and decay. The twins found a big log, but could do nothing until they were
helped by Ralph, Jack, Simon, Roger, and Maurice. When the others left, Jack and Ralph stared at another
large log.

RALPH: It looks heavy.

JACK: Not for the two of us.

Together, they carried the log up the last steep of the mountain. Together, they chanted One! Two! Three!
and crashed the log onto the pile. They stepped back and laughed together. The boys continued to add wood,
although the smaller ones lost interest and went in search of fruit. After a while, all the work stops and the boys
stood around staring at the pile. Ralph and Jack looked at each other. Both had the shameful knowledge that
they would now have to start the fire and they did not know how.

JACK: You rub two sticks--you rub them together.

RALPH: Does anyone have any matches?

Piggy appeared having climbed up the mountain. His breathing was hard. The sunlight reflected off of his
glasses.

RALPH: Piggy, have you got any matches?

PIGGY: My… you’ve made a big heap, haven’t you?

JACK: His specs--use them as burning glasses.

Piggy was surrounded by reaching hands. His glasses taken away from him.

PIGGY: “Here--let me go. Give ‘em back. I can hardly see. Be careful. You’ll break the conch.

RALPH: Piggy, stand out of the light.

Ralph moved the lenses back and forth over the wood. A small trickle of smoke rose and caused him to cough.
Jack knelt and blew on the smoke. A flame enveloped a small twig and grew. The flame flapped higher and the
boys broke into a cheer.

PIGGY: My specs. Give me my specs. Jus’ blurs, that’s all. I can hardly see my hand in front of me.

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The boys began to dance and cheer. Ralph put the glasses in Piggy’s hands. As they watched the fire, the dry
wood consumed the wood turning even the largest pieces into white ash. Ralph screamed that the fire would
go out and that more wood was needed. Everyone scrambled, throwing any found piece of wood onto the fire.
The flames shot into the sky and died away.

ROGER: That was no good.

RALPH: What do you mean?

ROGER: There was only flame--no smoke.

Piggy sits down between two rocks. He holds up the conch.

PIGGY: It’s no use. We couldn’t keep a fire like that going. Even if we tried...

JACK: A fat lot you tried! You just sat.

SIMON: We used his specs. He helped that way.

PIGGY: I’ve got the conch! You let me speak.

JACK: The conch doesn’t count on top of the mountain. So you shut up.

PIGGY: I’ve got the conch in my hands--

MAURICE: Put on green branches. That’s the best way to make smoke.

PIGGY: I’ve got the conch!

JACK: You shut up!

Piggy wilts like a trampled flower. Ralph goes to him and takes the conch.

RALPH: We have got to assign special people to look after the fire. Any day there might be a ship out there
and if we got a signal going they will come and take us off. And another thing: we have got to have
more rules.

The boys nod in agreement. Piggy opens his mouth to speak but catches Jack’s eye and stops. Jack holds his
hands for the conch. He stands.

JACK: I agree with Ralph. We’ve got to have rules and obey them. After all, we are not savages. We are
English, and the English do the best at everything. So we’ve got to do the right things. I’ll split up
the choir--my hunters--and we will be responsible for keeping the fire going.

There is a round of applause and cheers for Jack’s generosity. The conch is then passed around to whomever
wishes to speak.

JACK: And we will be responsible for keeping a lookout, too. If we see a ship out there, we will put green
branches on the fire and make a smoke signal.

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ROGER: I’ve been watching the sea and there has not been a trace of a ship. Perhaps we will never be
rescued.

RALPH: I said before--- we will be rescued. We just got to wait.

PIGGY: That’s what I said. I said about our meetings and things, and I was told to shut up. You said we
should build a small fire and what was made was the size of a haystack. If I say anything I’m told to
shut up, but if Jack or Simon or Maurice...

Piggy pauses in his speaking and looks beyond the boys to the side of the mountain. He lets out a strange
laugh.

PIGGY: You’ve got your small fire all right.

The boys look beyond Piggy. A quarter of a mile of the island is engulfed in flames.

PIGGY: You’ve got your small fire all right. We got to let that burn out now. And that was our firewood.
There ain’t nothing we can do now. We ought to be more careful. I’m scared--.

JACK: You’re always scared. Fatty.

PIGGY: I got the conch--ain’t I Ralph? I got the right to speak.

SAM (One Twin): We wanted fire!

ERIC (Another Twin): Now look!

The boys erupt into giggles then they begin shrieking with laughter.

PIGGY: I’ve got the conch. Just you listen. The first thing we ought to have done was make shelters down
there by the beach. It wasn’t even cold down there last night. But the first time Ralph says ‘fire’
you go howling and screaming up the mountain like a pack of kids. How can you expect us to be
rescued if you don’t act proper?

Piggy takes off his glasses and cleans them. He holds the conch under his arm.

PIGGY: You built a bonfire that isn’t no use. Now you set the whole island on fire! Won’t we look funny if
the whole island burns up? Cooked fruit-- that is what we will have to eat, and roast pork. And
that’s nothing to laugh at. You said Ralph was chief and you don’t even give him time to think.
Then when he says something you go and rush off like--like--

As Piggy pauses for a breath the fire seems to growl.

PIGGY: And that’s not all. Them kids. The little ‘uns. Who took any notice of them? Who knows how
many we got?

RALPH: I told you. I told you to get a list of names!

PIGGY: How could I all by myself? They waited for two minutes. Then they went into the sea and into the

13

forest. They just scattered everywhere. How was I to know which was which?
RALPH: Then you don’t know how many of us there is supposed to be?
PIGGY: How could I with them little ‘uns running around like insects. Then when you three came back, as

soon as you said make a fire, they all ran away, and I never had a chance--
RALPH: That’s enough! If you didn’t, you didn’t.
PIGGY: Then you came up here and pinched my specs...
JACK: You shut up!
PIGGY: Them little ‘uns was wandering about down there where the fire is. How do you know they aren’t

still down there? That little ‘un--him with the mark on his face, I don’t see him. Him that talked
about the snakes. He was down there.
A tree explodes like a bomb. Tall swathes of creeper vines rise into the air. The boys run in all directions. The
youngest ones are crying out: snakes, snakes. Piggy falls against a rock and clutches it with both hands.
PIGGY: That little ‘un with the mark on his face. Where is he now? I don’t see him.
RALPH: Perhaps he went back to the...
Beneath them the fire roared down the mountain sounding like a drum roll.

14

Chapter 2: CHARACTER What is going on in the mind of
Jack_________________________________________________________________________________
Ralph________________________________________________________________________________
SYMBOLISM
Piggy’s glasses represent____________________________________________________________________
The conch represents______________________________________________________________________
The fire respresents______________________________________________________________________
THEME
Choice_________________________________________________________________________________
Reason_________________________________________________________________________________

15

Scene Three: Huts on the Beach

Jack returns from an attempt at hunting a pig. His hair is longer now and he is naked except for a pair of
tattered shorts. Ralph is standing by a contraption of palm trees and leaves. It is a shelter that faces the lagoon
and seems very near to falling down.

JACK: Got any water?

Ralph looks up but does not seem to notice Jack. He stares back at the leaves frowning.
JACK: I said: do you got any water? I’m thirsty.

RALPH: Oh, hello. Water? There by the tree. Ought to be some left.

Jack drinks the water from the coconut shell, letting it spill sloppily along his chin.

JACK: Needed that.

Simon calls from inside the shelter.

SIMON: Up a bit.

Ralph moves a branch causing the roof of the structure to collapse. He sticks his head out of the hole.

SIMON: Sorry

RALPH: We are never going to get this done. Been working for two days now and look! And everyone keeps
running off. You remember the meetings, Jack? How everyone was working hard until the shelters
were finished?

JACK: Except me and my hunters...

RALPH: Except for your hunters. Well, the littluns are...hopeless. And the older ones aren’t much better.
Don’t you see? All day I have been working with Simon. No one else. They’re off bathing or
eating or playing.

Simon’s head pops out of the hole.

SIMON: You’re the chief. You tell ‘em off.

RALPH: Meetings. Don’t we love meetings? Every day. Twice a day. We talk. I bet if I blew the conch
this minute, they would come running. Someone would say we ought to build a jet, or a submarine,
or a television. When the meeting ends, they would work for five minutes and go off playing or
hunting.

Jack flushed.

JACK: We want meat.

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RALPH: Well, we haven’t got any. And we want shelters. Besides, the rest of your hunters came back hours
ago. They’ve been swimming.

JACK: I went on by myself. I let them go. I just had to go on... I thought if I went on by myself.
A look of madness crosses Jack’s eyes.

JACK: I thought I might kill this time.
RALPH: But you didn’t.

JACK: But I thought I might.
RALPH: But you haven’t yet. You wouldn’t care to help with the shelters now, would you?

JACK: We want meat.
RALPH: And we don’t get it.
JACK: But I shall! Next time! I’ve got a barb on this spear. We wounded a pig and the spear fell out...

RALPH: We need shelters!

JACK: Are you accusing...
RALPH: All I’m saying is that I’ve worked really hard. That’s all.

The boys looked at each other in silence. Both were red faced. Ralph rolls onto his stomach.
RALPH: If it rains like the time we dropped in we’ll need shelter alright. And another thing, we need shelters

because of the... You’ve noticed haven’t you?

JACK: Noticed what?
RALPH: Well. They’re frightened. I mean the way things are. At night, they dream. You can hear them talk

and scream. The littluns and even some of the older ones. As if...
SIMON: As if this isn’t a good island.
Both boys look up, surprised at Simon’s interruption.

SIMON: As if the beastie or the snake thing was real. Remember?

The two boys flinch as the unmentionable snake word is said aloud.
RALPH: As if this wasn’t a good island?
JACK: They’re batty. Of course this is a good island. Remember the first day we went exploring? All the fun

we had?

17

Ralph and Jack grin at the memories of the first day. Simon remains serious.
RALPH: So we still need shelters as sort of a--
JACK: Home!
RALPH: That’s right.
JACK: All the same--but in the forest when you’re hunting--not--getting fruit--but hunting on your own...
RALPH: Go on.
JACK: If you’re hunting sometimes you get a feeling as if...There’s nothing to it of course. It’s just a feeling.

But you feel as if you are not the one hunting--as if you are the one being hunted. As if something is
behind you... It’s nothing. It’s just that I know how they feel.
RALPH: The best thing we can do is get ourselves rescued.
Jack pauses to think for a moment. It is as if he has forgotten the meaning of the word rescue.
JACK: Rescue. Of course. I’d like to catch a pig first.
RALPH: So long as your hunters remember to keep the fire going.
JACK: You and your fire.
Ralph and Jack trot down to the beach and stare up at the mountain where the fire is being kept. Ralph
frowned.
RALPH: We don’t have enough smoke.
As the boys continue to watch the fire, a trickle of smoke rises in the air.
RALPH: They put green branches on the fire. I wonder if there is a ship!
JACK: Got it!
RALPH: What? A ship? Where?
JACK: Of course! They get up high. High up in the shade. Resting during the heat.
RALPH: I thought you saw a ship!
JACK: We could steal up on one and paint our faces so they wouldn’t see--perhaps surround them and then--
RALPH: I was talking about smoke! Don’t you want to be rescued? All you talk about is pig, pig, pig.
JACK: But we want meat.

18

RALPH: And I work all day with no one but Simon building the huts.
JACK: I work too!
RALPH: But you like it. You want to hunt. While I--people just don’t help much. Simon helps, but the rest

rush off. But with Simon--he goes off alone sometimes.
JACK: I’ll help you with the huts before I have a bath.
RALPH: Don’t bother.
As the boys reach the huts, Simon is no longer there.
RALPH: He’s gone off.
JACK: Probably got fed up and went off to bathe.
RALPH: Simon’s we
Simon walks along a path in the forest. The littluns follow him. They reach out their hands to him. He picks
the choice pieces of fruit and passes them around. After a while, he comes upon a piece of ground that is
surrounded by vines. He sits there meditating and watching butterflies as they surround him.

19

Chapter 3: CHARACTER What is going on in the mind of
Simon________________________________________________________________________________
Jack_________________________________________________________________________________
Ralph________________________________________________________________________________
SYMBOLISM
Simon’s fruit represent______________________________________________________________________
THEME
Choice_________________________________________________________________________________
Reason_________________________________________________________________________________

20

SCENE FOUR: PAINTED FACES AND LONG HAIR

On the beach the littluns are building sandcastles. Henry is the oldest of the group and a distant cousin of the
boy who disappeared in the fire. He has the makings of a leader. Percival and Johnny are the smallest boys
on the island. Percival is a mouse colored boy who was not even attractive to his own mother. Johnny is well
built with a fair hair and a natural hostility. Roger and Maurice have come off of fire duty and are heading for
a swim. Roger walks directly through the sandcastles, deliberately destroying everything with his kicks.

Maurice follows adding to the destruction. Bits of sand fly in Percival’s face, and he begins to whimper.
Maurice walks away quickly-- the unease of wrongdoing on his mind.

Roger remains watching the littluns. As the sand in Percival’s eyes is washed away with his tears, Johnny
begins to fling the sand so that it showers upon Percival. The child begins to cry once again. Henry becomes
restless and wanders along the beach. He becomes interested in poking small aquatic animals with a stick.
Roger hides behind a tree watching Henry. His breathing is heavy as he pitches small stones at the child. He
misses the child for the taboos of old life are still strong. Henry looks around thinking it’s all a game. He
grins and looks around. Roger again hides behind a tree, his breath coming in heavy gasps, his eyelids
fluttering. His attention is given to Jack who emerges from the forest. Jack’s face is concealed by heavy clay—
half painted in red and half in white.

JACK: Roger. If only I had some green clay. They don’t smell me but they see me. Maybe I should use
some pink. This is for hunting like war paint.

Jack runs a line of back charcoal down the middle of his face. He looks at the reflection of his face in the
water and frowns. He uses the water to wash the clay away. He again attempts to paint his face. This time
he makes one cheek and one eye socket white. He rubs red over the rest of his cheek and slashes black from his
right ear to left jaw. He looks back into the water, astonished at the stranger looking back at him. He leaps to
his feet laughing excitedly and begins to dance. Jack’s laughter becomes a bloodthirsty snarl. Behind his mask,
Jack feels liberated from shame and self-consciousness. He runs into the forest.

Ralph and Piggy are sitting by the bathing pool. Piggy wears the remainder of his shorts and glasses. He is
the only boy on the island whose hair has never seemed to have grown.

PIGGY: I’ve been thinking about a clock. We could make a sundial. We could put a stick in the sand--

RALPH: Sure. We could make an airplane or a television set or a steam engine.

PIGGY: You have to have a lot of metal for that and we got no metal. But we got a lot sticks. We could have
a sundial each. Then we would know the time.

RALPH: A fat lot of good that would do us.

PIGGY: You said you wanted things done so we could be rescued.

RALPH: Oh shut up.

Their attention is captured by someone yelling Smoke! Smoke! Simon, Maurice and Ralph look to the horizon
where there is a passing ship. They look to the mountain where there is no signal smoke. They jump up and

21

begin to run up the mountain to the signal fire. Piggy scrambles behind shouting.

PIGGY: Ralph, Ralph. Is there are signal fire? Ralph, please tell me. Ralph.

RALPH: Piggy’s specs. Someone grab them. If the fire has gone out, we will need them.

By the time the boys reach the top their breath is coming in rasps. Their bodies are cut from running through
the creepers. The fire is dead. The watchers are nowhere to be seen. Ralph looks at towards the ship. The
ship is leaving. Simon turns away not wanting to show the tears in her eyes. Ralph runs along the top of the
mountain screaming.

RALPH: Come back! Come Back! Come Baccccckkk! Oh God. They let the bloody fire go out.

Ralph collapses to his knees. In the distance, a chant can be heard. The words of the chant become clear as a
group of boys approach, led by Jack. Behind him, the twins are carrying a stake on the shoulders with the
carcass of a pig tied to it. The chant becomes louder. Kill the Pig! Cut the throat! Spill her blood!

JACK: Look! We killed a pig--we stole up on them--we got in a circle.

SAM: We got in a circle.

ERIC: We crept up.

SAM: The pig squealed...

RALPH: You let the fire go out!

JACK: We can light the fire again. You should have been there Ralph. We had a smashing good time. The
twins got knocked over.

SAM: We hit the pig.

ERIC: I fell on top.

JACK: I cut the throat Ralph. Can I borrow yours so can make a nick in the hilt? There were lashings and
blood. You’ve should have seen it! We’ll go hunting every day.

RALPH: You let the fire go out!

JACK: We had to have them in the hunt. Otherwise we wouldn’t have had enough hunters to make a ring
around the pig.

The fire’s only been out an hour or so. We can light it up again. Oh, you should have seen the blood.

RALPH: There was a ship.

Jack being faced with too many accusations put his hand on the pig and withdrew his knife. Ralph brought his
arm down hard upon the pig.

RALPH: There was a ship out there. You said you’d keep the fire going and you let it burn out. They might
have seen us. We might have gone home.

22

PIGGY: You and your blood Jack Merridew! You and your hunting. We might have gone home.

Ralph pushes Piggy aside.
RALPH: I was chosen chief, and you were going to do what I said. You talk. But you can’t even build huts--

then you go off hunting and let out the fire. Don’t you understand? There was a ship--

JACK: The job was too much. We needed everyone.

RALPH: You could have had everyone when the shelters were finished. But you had to hunt.

JACK: We needed meat.

Jack stands up with the bloody knife in his hand. The two boys face each other. Jack transfers the knife to his
left hand and his forehead becomes smudged with blood. Piggy interrupts.
PIGGY: You shouldn’t have let the fire go out. You said you would keep the fire going.

There is a murmur of agreement from the other boys. Jack takes a step and punches Piggy in the stomach.
Piggy goes down with a grunt. Jack stands above him. His voice is vicious.
JACK: You would try to make me look bad wouldn’t you, Fatty?
Ralph makes a step towards Jack who smacks Piggy in the head. Piggy’s glasses fly off and tinkle against some
rocks. Piggy cries out in terror.

PIGGY: My specs!

Simon gets to the glasses first and hands them to Piggy.

SIMON: One side is broken.
PIGGY: I’ve got to have them specs to see and now I only got one eye. Just you wait--

Jack makes a sudden move towards Piggy who scrambles behind a great rock. He thrusts his head above the
rock and glares at Jack through the one good frame.

PIGGY: Now I only got one eye. Just you wait--
Jack mimics Piggy’s whine and scramble.

JACK: OOOOhhhhhh! Just you wait! Whahhhh!

The parody was so close to true that the hunters begin to laugh. Encouraged, Jack begins to mock Piggy with
greater dramatics. Soon the laughter rises to hysteria. Unwillingly, Ralph’s begin to twitch, but is angry with
himself for giving in.

RALPH: That was a dirty trick.

23

JACK: All right, all right. I’m sorry about the fire I mean. There...I....apologize.

RALPH: That was a dirty trick. All right light the fire.

The boys begin to collect wood for the new fire. Jack is loud and active. He is singing, whistling and shouting
orders. The ones he gives to Ralph are simple with no need for a response. Ralph says nothing. He remains
staring at the dead fire. No one dares tell Ralph to move. They are forced to build a new fire in the distance.
The boys come to the realization that they cannot light the fire without Piggy’s glasses. Ralph approached
Piggy with caution. A link between Ralph and Jack had been snapped and it was replaced with a new unspoken
link.

RALPH: I’ll bring them back.

PIGGY: I’ll come with you.

Ralph attempts to start the fire with Piggy behind him. Ralph aims the glasses at the wood and starts the fire.
Piggy grabs his glasses and puts them back on his face. Jack hacks at the pig and cooks it. Meat is passed
around. Ralph intends to refuse it, but a meal of something besides fruit, nuts, crab, or fish was just too
tempting. He accepts a piece of near raw meat and gnaws it like a wolf. Piggy looks around at the others
eating.

PIGGY: Aren’t I having any?

JACK: You didn’t hunt.

PIGGY: Neither did Ralph of Simon.

Simon sitting between the twins wipes his mouth and gives his meat to Piggy who grabs it and eats. Jack jumps
to his feet, slashes off a large piece of meat and throws it at Simon.

JACK: Eat it! Damn you! I said take it.

Jack jumps on a rock and speaks to the crowd.

JACK: I got you meat. I painted my face. I stole up. Now eat all of you!

MAURICE: Where did you find the pig?

ROGER: They were over there by the sea.

JACK: We spread around. I crept on my hands and knees. The spears fell out because they did not have barbs
in them. The pig ran away and made an awful noise.

ROGER: It turned back and ran into the circle--bleeding.

SAM: We closed in.

JACK: I cut the pig’s throat.

The boys jump up and run in circles, screaming and shouting. Maurice pretends to be a pig, squeals, and runs

24

into the center of the circle. Pretending to be hunters, the boys dance and sing. Kill the pig. Cut her throat.
Bash him in. Feeling both jealous and envious, Ralph waited for the chant to die down.
RALPH: I’m calling an assembly with the conch. I don’t care if we have to walk down there in the dark. Go

down on the platform when I blow it--now!

25

Chapter 4: CHARACTER What is going on in the mind of
Roger________________________________________________________________________________
Jack_________________________________________________________________________________
Ralph________________________________________________________________________________
SYMBOLISM
Jacks painted mask represents________________________________________________________________
The missed ship represents___________________________________________________________________
The breaking of Piggy’s glasses represents_______________________________________________________
THEME
Choice_________________________________________________________________________________
Reason_________________________________________________________________________________

26

27

SCENE FIVE: BEAST FROM THE WATER

Ralph sat on a log in an area reserved for “the chief”. He looks around and tries to think. To Ralph, being
chief means you have to be wise, you had to think. Ralph knew that it was Piggy who could think, who could go
step by step in his head. But Piggy was no chief.

RALPH: We need an assembly. Not for fun, or laughing, or making jokes. We need to put things straight.

He pauses.

RALPH: We have lots of assemblies. Everybody enjoys speaking and being together. We decide things, but
they don’t get done. We were going to have water bought from the stream and left in those coconut
shells under fresh leaves. So it was, for a few days. Now there’s no water. The shells are dry
because everyone is drinking from the river.

There is a murmur of agreement.

RALPH: Then there’s the huts, the shelters. You all sleep in the shelters. Tonight, except for Samneric, who
will watch the fire, you’ll all sleep here. Who built the shelters? Not the first one--we all built that--
but the other two. Only four of us built the second one and only Simon and I built the last one.
That’s why it’s so tottery. No, don’t laugh. The shelters might fall down if the rain comes. We’ll
need those shelters then. There’s another thing. We chose those rocks right along the bathing pool
as a lavatory because the tide cleans everything up. Now people are going anywhere-- even near the
shelters! This place is getting dirty...

Piggy holds up his hands for the conch, but Ralph ignores him.

RALPH: And then there is the fire.

Jack does not look at Ralph. Instead he used his knife to chip away bits of wood from the log. He whispers
something to Robert who looks away.

RALPH: The fire is the most important thing on this island. How can we ever be rescued, except by luck, if
we don’t keep a fire going? Is a fire too much for us to make? Look at us! How many are we? And
we can’t keep a fire going to make smoke. Don’t you understand? Can’t you see that we ought to--
ought to die before we let the fire out?

There is self-conscious giggling among the hunters. Ralph turns on them, yelling passionately.

RALPH: You hunters! You can laugh! But I tell you smoke is the more important than a pig no matter how
many times you kill one. Don’t all of you see? We have to make smoke up there or die! And
another thing. We nearly set the whole island on fire. And we waste time, rolling rocks, and making
little cooking fires. Now, I say this and make it a rule because I’m chief. We won’t have a fire
anywhere but on the mountain. Ever.

Ralph takes a long look at each member of the group.

RALPH: All this I meant to say. Now I’ve said it. You voted me chief. Now you do what I say.

28

Jack stands up and puts his hands out for the conch.

RALPH: I haven’t finished yet.

JACK: But you’ve talked and talked!

RALPH: I still have the conch.

Jack sits down grumbling.

RALPH: One more thing. Things are breaking up. I don’t understand why. We began well. We were happy,
and then the fear came. We’ve got to talk about this fear and decide there is nothing to it. I’m
frightened myself sometimes, but it is all nonsense. When we have decided that this is all nonsense,
we can get back to the way things were and be happy.

Ralph lays the conch down on the log as a sign that he has finished talking. Jack grabs the conch.

JACK: So this is a meeting to decide what’s what. I’ll tell you what’s what. You littluns started all this with
the fear talk. Beasts! Where from? Of course we are frightened sometimes, but we must put up with
being frightened. Ralph says he hears you scream at night. But what does that mean other than you
are having nightmares? Anyway, you don’t build or hunt or help. You’re a lot of crybabies and
sissies. That's what. And as for being afraid-- you will just have to put up with it like the rest of us.

Ralph looks at Jack open-mouthed. Jack does not notice.

JACK: The thing is--fear can’t stop you any more than a dream. There aren’t any beasts to be afraid of on this
island. Serves you right if something did get you, you useless lot of babies. But there is no animal.

RALPH: What is all this? Who said anything about a monster?

JACK: You did, the other day. You said they dream and cry out--not only the littluns, but my hunters
sometimes--talk of a dark thing, a beast, some sort of animal. Now listen. You don’t get big animals
on small islands--only pigs. Well then. I’m a hunter. I’ve been all over the island by myself. If
there were a beast, I’d have seen it.

Piggy takes up the conch.

PIGGY: I don’t agree with all Jack said, but with some. Of course, there is nothing to be afraid of in the
forest. Next thing you will be talking about ghosts. You know if something is wrong, we can put it
right. For example, if you get a pain in your stomach, whether it’s a little or big one--

MAURICE: You have a big stomach!

PIGGY: When you are done laughing, perhaps we can get on with the meeting. Tell everyone I have the
conch, Ralph. Life is scientific and it is scientifically impossible for there to be a beast. Just like it
should be impossible for fear to overtake us. Unless…unless we get frightened of people. So let’s
hear from the littlun who talked about the beastie and we will show him how silly it is. You, what is
your name?

29

PHIL: Phil. Last night I had a dream, a horrid dream, fighting with things. I was outside the shelter, by
myself, fighting with those twisty things. Then I was frightened and I woke up. I was outside by
myself in the dark, but the twisty things were gone. I was scared and I was calling out for Ralph. I
saw something in the trees--something big and horrid.

RALPH: That was a nightmare. He was sleep walking.

PHIL: I was away when the twisty things were fighting me. I was asleep when I saw the horrid thing in the
trees.

RALPH: You were asleep. There wasn’t anyone there. How could there be anyone wandering about in the
forest at night? Was there anyone? Did anyone go out on their own?

There is a long silence. Simon stands and Ralph looks at him in astonishment.

RALPH: You?! What were you mucking around the forest at night for?

Simon grabs the shell.

SIMON: I wanted to go to a place--a place I know.

RALPH: What place?

SIMON: Just a place I know. A place in the jungle.

RALPH: Well, don’t do it again. At least not at night. There’s enough talk about beasts without the littluns
seeing you walking about. Well Piggy? Is it settled?

PIGGY: There is another littlun. That one over there. Go ask him. You, what is your name?

The littlun twisted back and forth and said nothing.

PIGGY: Ralph...

RALPH: Now then, what is your name?

PERCIVAL: Percival Wemys Madison. Residence, Harcourt, Street, telephone number...

Not being able to remember his phone number, Percival breaks into tears. The boys start chanting Shut Up!
Shut Up! The littluns begin to join Percival with cries of their own. The wails begin to rise. Maurice saves the
moment by pretending to fall hard and rubbing his rump. The sniffles become chuckles. Jack becomes annoyed
and grabs Percival.

JACK: And what about the beast?! Where does the beast live?
PIGGY: That’s clever beast-- if it can hide on this island. Where could a beast live?

JACK: Beast my foot!

Percival mutters something and the boys laugh.

30

RALPH: What did he say?

JACK: He says the beast comes out of the sea.

MAURICE: My daddy says they haven’t found all of the animals in the sea yet. I mean when Jack says people
can be frightened because people are frightened anyway that’s all right. But when he says there are
only pigs on this island, I expect he’s right, but he doesn’t know, not really know, not with certainty,
I mean. My dad says there are these things with ink called squids that are hundreds of yards long and
can eat whales whole. Maybe a squid could come out of the water.

There is an uproar of everyone voicing their opinions. Simon walks over to the conch. He begins to say
something several times but stops.

SIMON: Maybe, maybe there is a beast.

RALPH: Simon? You believe in all this?

SIMON: I...I....I....I don’t know.

JACK: Sit down!

MAURICE: Shut up!

BILL: Sod you!

RALPH: Hear him! He’s got the conch.

SIMON: What I mean is....maybe the beast is only us.

PIGGY: That’s nuts.

BILL: Maybe he means it’s some sort of ghost.

PIGGY: I don’t believe in no ghosts--ever!

JACK: Who cares what you think--fatty!

PIGGY: I got the conch!

JACK: You gimme that conch.

Jack goes after Piggy, but not before Ralph steps in between. He wrestles the conch away and gets a painful
thump on the chest. He sits down breathlessly.

RALPH: There has been too much talk about ghosts--we should have saved that for daylight. And there has
been too much talk out of turn. We can’t have proper assemblies if you don’t stick to the rules. I
was wrong to have the assembly this late. We’ll have a vote on ghosts and then go back to the shelter
because we are all tired. Well then, who thinks there may be ghosts?

31

There is a long silence and no movement. Then Ralph could make out the many hands that were raised. The
world, the understandable and lawful world, was slipping away. The conch was seized from Ralph’s hands by
Piggy.

PIGGY: I didn’t vote for no ghosts. Remember that, all of you! What are we? Humans? Or animals? Or
savages? What are grownups going to think? Going off--hunting pigs--letting out fires--and now!

Jack once again dives towards the conch. There is a moment’s struggle and the conch danced up and down.
Ralph leapt to his feet.

JACK: You shut up! You fat slug!

RALPH: Jack, Jack! You haven’t got the conch! Let him speak.

Jacks face swarms into Ralph's.

JACK: And you shut up! Who are you anyway? Sitting there telling people what to do. You can’t hunt.
You can’t sing--

RALPH: I am chief. I was chosen.

JACK: What difference does that make? Just giving orders that don’t make any sense--

RALPH: Piggy’s got the conch.

JACK: That’s right. Favor Piggy as you always do.

RALPH: Jack! Jack! The rules! You are breaking the rules!

JACK: Who cares?

RALPH: The rules are the only thing we got!

JACK: Bullocks to the rules! We’re strong. We hunt. If there’s a beast, we’ll hunt it down. We’ll beat and
beat and beat...

Jack jumps down from the platform and begins to whoop. All at once, the platform was filled with excitement.
There is laughter and screams. The crowd scatters along the sand and the water. Ralph takes the conch from
Piggy.

PIGGY: What are the grownups going to say? Just look at ‘em.

The sound of mock hunting, hysterical laughter, and real terror came from the beach.

PIGGY: Blow the conch. You’ve got to be tough now. Make ‘em do what you want.

RALPH: If I blow the conch and they don’t come back, then we’ve had it. We shan’t keep the fire going.
We’ll be like animals. We will never be rescued.

PIGGY: If you don’t blow it, we will soon be animals anyway. I can’t see what they are doing, but I can hear.

32

RALPH: Are there ghosts Piggy?
PIGGY: Course there aren’t.

RALPH: Why not?
PIGGY: Because things wouldn’t make sense. Houses and streets, and TV—they wouldn’t work.
RALPH: But supposing things don’t need to make sense. Not here on this island. Supposing things are

watching and waiting?
PIGGY: You stop talking like that! We’ve got enough trouble, and I’ve had just about as much as I can stand.

If there are ghosts here--
RALPH: I ought to give up being chief. Listen to them…
PIGGY: Oh lord! Oh no! If Jack was chief, he’d have all hunting and no fire. We’d be here until we died.

There is a movement in the darkness.
RALPH: Who’s there?

SIMON: Me, Simon.
RALPH: Fat lot of good we are. We are three blind mice. I’ll give up being chief.

PIGGY: If you give up, what will happen to me?

RALPH: Nothing.
PIGGY: He hates me. I don’t know why. If he could do what he wanted-- you’re all right, he respects you.

Besides--- you’d hit him.

RALPH: You were having a nice fight with him just before.

PIGGY: Well, I had the conch. I had the right to speak.

SIMON: Go on being chief.
PIGGY: You shut up, young Simon. Why couldn’t you say there wasn’t a beast? I’m scared of Jack and that’s

why I know him so well. If you are scared of someone, you hate him, but you really can’t stop
thinking about him. You kid yourself thinking “he is alright, really” and then when you see him
again: it’s like asthma and you really can’t breathe. I tell you what. He hates you too, Ralph.

RALPH: Me? Why me?
PIGGY: I don’t know. You made him look bad with the fire and you’re chief and he isn’t.

33

RALPH: But he’s Jack, Jack Merridew.

PIGGY: I’ve been in bed so much with my asthma, and I’ve done some thinking. I know about people. I
know about me. And him. He can’t hurt you, but if you stand out of the way, he’d hurt the next
thing. And that’s me.

SIMON: Piggy’s right Ralph. There’s you and Jack. Go on being chief.

RALPH: We are all drifting around and things are getting bad. At home there was always a grown up. How I
wish--

PIGGY: I wish my auntie was here.

RALPH: I wish my father. Oh, what’s the use?

SIMON: Keep the fire going.

The dance on the beach ends and the boys are heading back to the shelter.

PIGGY: Grownups know things. They ain’t afraid of the dark. They’d meet and have tea and discuss things.
Then everything would be alright. They wouldn’t set the island on fire. They’d build a ship.

SIMON: They wouldn’t argue.

PIGGY: Or break my specs.

RALPH: Or talk about a beast. If only they could get a message to us. If only they could send us a sign.

SCENE SIX: BEAST FROM THE AIR

A sign comes down from the world of grownups at a time when there was no child awake to read it. The sign
comes with a sudden bright explosion and a corkscrew trail across the sky. There is darkness again as a speck
floats above the island. A figure with dangling limbs and a parachute drops swiftly. The figure lands and the
wind takes it sliding up the mountain. The journey ends as the figure becomes entrapped by the shattered rocks
on the mountaintop. The breeze is restless as it causes the figure to become entangled in the parachute lines.
With the breeze, the lines strain taunt and pulls the figures head and chest upright-- so that the figure seems to
peer across the mountain. Each time the wind drops, the lines loosen and the figure bows forward again. As
the stars move across the sky, the figure bows and rises only to bow and rise again.

In the darkness of early morning, there are noises by a rock a little way down the mountain. Two boys, the
twins, are talking sleepily to each other. Their duty is to watch the fire. In theory, one should have slept while
the other stood watch. But doing things independently was impossible and both gave in to sleep. Now they look
at the dark smudge that was once the signal fire.

SAM: I believe that it is completely out.

34

ERIC: No. Go get me some tinder wood.

Eric bends down and blows softly till the patch of tinder was bright. Sam pokes a stick of tinder into the hot
patch. The glow increases until there is a small flame. The boys throw wood onto the fire.

ERIC: Don’t burn the lot. You are putting on too much.

SAM: Let’s warm up.

ERIC: That was a near mess. He would have been...

SAM: Waxy.

For a few minutes, the twins watch the fire in silence.
SAM: Wasn’t Ralph waxy? About the--
ERIC: Fire and the pig? We’re lucky he went for Jack, instead of us.

Warmth radiates from the fire and the twins share memories of home and school. Their laughter is identical.
Eric stretches out his hands and looks beyond the fire. He sees the rocks, the filled gap, and the...

ERIC: Sam?

SAM: Huh?

ERIC: Nothing...Sam?

SAM: Huh?

ERIC: Sam! Sam!

Sam sees the intensity of Eric’s gaze and scrambles to the other side of the fire. The twins are motionless--a set
of four wide eyes and two open mouths. There is a plopping sound made by the parachute being tossed about
by a breeze. The boys do not scream, but their fear is shown in the way they grip each other. Then as though
they had one terrified mind between them, they scrambled over the rocks and fled.

Ralph is dreaming and is awakened by the sounds of his name being called.

SAM: Ralph, Ralph!

ERIC: Ralph, wake up!
RALPH: What’s the matter?

SAM: We saw--

ERIC: The beast--

SAM: We saw it plain.

35

PIGGY: Who are you? The twins?

RALPH: Quiet Piggy!

SAM: We saw the beast.
ERIC: Ralph, you can’t go out there.
SAM: It’s horrible.

RALPH: Piggy--where are the spears?

PIGGY: I can hear the--

RALPH: Quiet! Everyone be still.

They lie there listening to the twins. At first there is doubt but then there is terror as the twins relay
descriptions of the beastie between bouts of extreme silence. Soon the darkness is filled with claws and an
awful, unknown menace. As dawn fades the stars out, the boys begin to stir. Ralph goes to the entrance and
kneels looking cautiously.
RALPH: Sam ‘n Eric. Call everyone to the assembly. Quietly. Go on.

The twins holding each other tremulously and venture into the next shelter. Ralph, for the sake of dignity, walks
to the platform with his back straight. Simon, Piggy, and the others sneak behind. Ralph holds up the conch,
places it against his lips, but does not blow. Instead, he holds it up and shows it to everyone. Ralph hands the
conch to Eric, the closest of the twins.
ERIC: We seen the beast with our own eyes--no we weren’t sleeping.

Sam takes up the story not bothering to take the conch. It was now custom that if one twin had the conch both
could speak.

SAM: It was furry. There was something moving behind it. The beast moved too.

ERIC: It was awful. It kind of sat up.

SAM: The fire was bright.

ERIC: There were eyes, teeth--

SAM: Claws!

ERIC: We ran as fast as we could. We bashed into things.

SAM: The beast followed us. It went slinking behind the trees.

ERIC: Nearly touched me--

36

RALPH: Your face--the scratches--how did that happen. You’re bleeding.

The boys shrink away in terror. Johnny burst into noisy tears and is slapped by Bill until he chokes on them.
The boys move into a circle, their sharpened spears facing outward like a protective fence. Jack stands. He
holds out his spear.

JACK: This will be a real hunt! Who will come?
RALPH: Our spears are made of wood. Don’t be silly!

JACK: Frightened Ralph?
RALPH: Of course I’m frightened. Who wouldn’t be?
PIGGY: Couldn’t we-- kind of-- stay here? Maybe the beast won’t come near us.

RALPH: Stay here? And be cramped into this bit of island always being on the lookout? How will we get out
food? And what about the fire?

JACK: Let’s be moving. We are wasting time!

RALPH: No we are not. What about the littluns?

JACK: Sucks to the littluns.

RALPH: Somebody has to look after them.

JACK: Nobody has so far.

RALPH: There was no need! Now there is. Piggy will stay and look after them.
JACK: That’s right. We must keep Piggy out of danger!

RALPH: Have some sense. What can Piggy do with only one eye?

The boys are looking back and forth between Jack and Ralph.

RALPH: And another thing. You can’t have an ordinary hunt because the beast doesn’t leave tracks. If it did,
we’d have seen them. For all we know the beast may swing through the trees. So we’ve got to think.

PIGGY: How about us, Ralph?

RALPH: You haven’t got the conch. Here.

PIGGY: I mean how about us? Suppose the beast comes when you are all away. I can’t see proper, and if I
get scared...my asthma.

JACK: You are always scared.

PIGGY: I got the conch!

37

JACK: Conch! Conch! We don’t need the conch anymore. We know who ought to say things. What good
did Simon do speaking? Or Bill? Or Walter? It’s time some people realize they’ve got to keep quiet
and leave deciding things to the rest of us.

RALPH: Jack, you haven’t got the conch. Sit down.

Jack goes white. He licks his lips and remains standing.

JACK: This is a hunter’s job.

RALPH: This is more than a hunter’s job because you can’t track a beast that leaves no tracks. You can’t
track the beast. Don’t you want to be rescued?

Ralph turns to the boys.

RALPH: Don’t you want to be rescued?!

Ralph turns to Jack.

RALPH: I said this before. The fire is the main thing. Now the fire must be out. Hasn’t anyone got any
sense? We have to relight the fire. You never thought of that Jack, did you? Or don’t you want to
be rescued?

There is a tense moment before the crisis passes. Piggy isn’t doing well. His breath comes out in a gasp. He
tries to reach for a deep breath but fails. He lays against a log with his mouth gaping. There are deep blue
circles under his eyes. No one pays attention to him.

RALPH: Now think Jack. Is there anywhere on the island you haven’t been?

JACK: There’s only... Yes, but of course. You remember the tail end part, where the rocks are piled up? I’ve
only been near there. The rocks make sort of a bridge. There is only one way up. The thing might
live there.

RALPH: All right. That’s where we will look. If the beast isn’t there, we’ll go up the mountain and light the
fire.

JACK: Let’s go!

RALPH: We’ll eat first then go. We will have to take our best spears.

After eating, the bigguns take off. They leave Piggy propped up on the platform. Under Ralph's direction, they
picked a careful way through the forest. Ralph allows Jack to lead the way. Jack walks with dramatic caution
though they could have seen the enemy from twenty yards away. Simon walks up besides Ralph. There are
several times when he begins to say something but stops. He sighs at his inability to put thoughts into words.
Simon does not pay attention as he bashes into a tree. Jack stops.

JACK: We’re in sight now.

38

RALPH: Alright. We’ll get as close as we can.
BILL: Look at the area over there. The part that looks like a castle.
The hunters are silent. Ralph looks at Jack.
RALPH: Well, you’re the hunter.
Jack turns red.
JACK: I know. All right. I’ll go.
RALPH: No, I’m chief. I’ll go. Don’t argue. You’re hunters. You hide here and wait for me. Jack...do you

think that...
JACK: I’ve been all over. It must be here.
RALPH: I see.
SIMON: Ralph...I....I...I don’t....believe in the beast.
RALPH: No, I suppose not. Well, so long.
Ralph walks on ahead. His eyes scan everywhere. Ralph did not expect to meet up with any beast, but he did
not know what he would do if he did. He heads up the ledge. After a few moments, there is movement behind
him. He turns to see Jack.
JACK: Couldn’t let you do this on your own.
Jack looks around excitedly. He gives the grin of a young boy.
JACK: What a place for a fort.
RALPH: No fresh water.
JACK: We could keep coconuts up here filled with water.
RALPH: No, this is a rotten place.
JACK: Do you remember how we pushed the boulder down the mountain? We could shove a palm tree under

a boulder and if an enemy comes. On heave and--wheee!
Ralph ignores him. The boys move up the mountain. Ralph stops.
JACK: What’s the matter? What do you see?
RALPH: The fire has gone out. There is no signal.
JACK: You’re nuts about that signal.

39

RALPH: That’s all we got!! We’ll have to go back and climb the mountain. That’s where they saw the beast.
JACK: The beast won’t be there.

RALPH: What else can we do?

As Jack and Ralph return the others are overcome with excitement in seeing them unharmed. They forget the
beast and storm across the bridge intent on exploration. As the boys are shouting and climbing, Ralph watches
in silence. His hand rests on one of the red rocks. He begins to beat the rock with a closed fist.

RALPH: We need smoke! Jack, come on!

Jack is not seen. A knot of boys are moving together making noise. They are heaving and pushing a boulder
over the cliff. The bolder smashes down into the water sending a spray of water half way up the cliff.
RALPH: Stop it. Stop it!! Smoke! We want smoke! And you’re on our time. We need smoke and you roll

rocks.
ROGER: We’ve got plenty of time.
RALPH: We’ll go to the mountain.

An uproar breaks out. Some of the boys want to go back to the shelters. The others want to stay at their new
fort.

RALPH: Jack, the beast may be on the other side. You lead again.
BILL: Why can’t we stay for a bit?
MAURICE: Let’s have a fort!

ROGER: We can roll rocks...right onto the bridge.
RALPH: There’s no food here, not much shelter, and no fresh water.

BILL: This would make a wizard fort!
RALPH: I say we go on! We’ve got to make certain about the beast. We’ll go now!
BILL: Let’s stay here.
MAURICE: Let’s go back to the beach. There’s fruit there.

RALPH: No!

Ralph hits the rock again and strikes the skin off his knuckles, but does not seem to notice.
RALPH: I’m chief and we’ve got to make certain. Can you see the mountain? There is no signal showing.

There may be a ship out there. Are you off your rockers?!

40

Disobediently, the boys fell silent or muttering. Jack leads the way.

SCENE SEVEN: SHADOWS AND TALL TREES

On the other side of the island the horizon is a hard clipped blue. Ralph walks down to the beach and notes the
vastness of the ocean. He is overwhelmed. He could dream of rescue when he was at the shelters, but here it is
different. Ralph feels clamped down, helpless, and doomed. Simon walks up carefully behind him, leans down,
and talks near Ralph’s ear.
SIMON: You’ll get back to where you came from.
RALPH: The ocean… it’s just all so big.
SIMON: All the same. You’ll get back alright. I think so, anyway.

RALPH: Do you have a ship in your pocket. No? Well how do you know then?

SIMON: I...I...I..
RALPH: You’re just batty.
SIMON: No, I’m not. I just think you will get back all right.

ROGER: Ralph, come and see! Warm pig droppings!

Simon and Ralph follow Roger. Jack is bent over the pig droppings as if he loves them.

JACK: Ralph--we need meat even if we are hunting the other thing.
RALPH: If the pig is going the way we are then we’ll hunt.
Jack leads them to a set of bushes where the Pig may be. Ralph waits but is soothed into daydreams of home—
of snow, books, and Cornflakes. The bushes crash ahead of them. Boys fling themselves wildly from the pig
track and scramble in the creepers, screaming. Ralph sees Jack fall. Then the creature was bounding towards
him. When the Pig is five yards away, Ralph flings his spear. The wooden spear hits the pig in the snout.
Squealing, the pig runs in the undergrowth.

JACK: Through the bushes here!

MAURICE: But he will get us.

JACK: Through here I said!

Jack disappears into the undergrowth.

RALPH: I hit him! The spear stuck in!

Jack returns.

41

JACK: He’s gone.

RALPH: I hit him! The spear stuck in a bit! Did you all see it?

MAURICE: I saw you. Right bang on the snout--wheeeeeee!

RALPH: I hit him alright. The spear walloped in. I wounded him. I struck him properly. That was the beast
I think.

JACK: That wasn’t a beast. That was a boar.

RALPH: I hit him.
JACK: Why didn’t you grab him? I tried. What did you want to throw it for? Why didn’t you wait?

Jack holds out his arm for all to see. On the outside there is a rip. It is not much, but it is bloody.
JACK: Look. He did that with his tusks. I couldn’t get my spear down in time.
SIMON: That’s a wound.

Ralph attempts to get the attention back on him.

RALPH: I hit the boar. I hit him with my spear. I wounded him. I threw it like this...

Robert snarls at the boys and pretends to be a pig. Ralph joins in the play. The boys make a ring around
Robert and there is laughter as they jab at him. Robert screams in mock terror, and then in real pain.
ROBERT: Ow! Stop it! You’re hurting!

The butt end of a spear falls on his back and he blunders among them.

ROGER: Hold him!

The boys grab hold of Robert. Ralph is carried away by the sudden thick excitement and grabs Eric's spear.
He jabs Robert with it. There is the shouting of Kill Him! Kill Him! Kill Him! Robert is screaming and
struggling with the strength of frenzy. Jack grips Robert’s hair and displays his knife. Roger is fighting to get
closer.

A chant rises as if it is a ritual. Kill the pig! Cut his throat! Kill the pig! Bash him in! Ralph too is
fighting to get closer to get a handful of vulnerable flesh. The desire to squeeze and hurt is overwhelming.
Jack’s arm comes down and the heaving circle cheers and makes pig dying noises. Then they lie quiet listening
to Robert’s frightened cries. He wipes his face with a dirty arm and makes an attempt to retrieve his status.

ROBERT: Oh my bum!

JACK: That was a good game.

RALPH: Yes, just a game.

42

MAURICE: We should have a drum. Then we could do it properly?

RALPH: How properly?
MAURICE: I dunno… You want a fire, I think, and a drum, and you keep time to the drum.

ROGER: You want a pig like a real hunt.

JACK: Or someone to pretend. You could get someone to dress up as a pig and then he could act--you know
pretend to knock me over and all that.

ROBERT: You want a real pig because you’ve got to kill him.

JACK: Use a littlun.

RALPH: Well, we shall not find what we are looking for at this rate. Now for the mountain.
MAURICE: Shouldn’t we go back for Piggy before it gets dark?
SAM and ERIC: Yes, let’s go back. Let’s go up there in the morning.
RALPH: We’ve got to start the fire again.
JACK: You haven’t got Piggy’s specs so you can’t.
RALPH: Then we’ll find out if the mountain is clear.

MAURICE: Supposing the beast is up there?
JACK: We’ll kill it!! Well, what are we waiting for?

RALPH: I suppose if we keep on by the sea, we come out below the burnt bit of island, and then we can climb
the mountain.

After a long time of walking, Ralph stops and looks at the sun using it to estimate the time.

RALPH: Early evening. After teatime, at any rate.
JACK: I don’t remember this cliff so this must be the part of the coast I missed.
RALPH: Let me think...We can’t leave the littluns alone with Piggy. Not all night. If we went back now it

could take hours...
JACK: We mustn’t let anything happen to Piggy, must we?
RALPH: Someone’s got to go back and tell Piggy we will be back after dark.

BILL: Through the forest? By himself? Now?
RALPH: We can’t spare more than one.

43

SIMON: I’ll go if you like. I don’t mind. Honestly.

Simon leaves.

RALPH: Jack, that time you went the whole way to Castle Rock, you came to this part of the mountain, below
the shore, and then...

JACK: I found a pig-run. It went for miles.

RALPH: So the pig-run must be somewhere in there. Alright, then we’ll smash a way through until we find the
pig-run. Wait a minute! Where did you say the pig-run went?

JACK: The mountain, I told you!! Don’t you want to go up the mountain?

RALPH: I was thinking of the light. We’ll be stumbling about.

JACK: We were going to hunt the beast.

RALPH: There won’t be enough light.

JACK: I don’t mind going. I’ll go when we get there. Won’t you? Would you rather go back to the shelters
and tell Piggy?

RALPH: Why...why do you hate me?

The boys stir uneasily as if something offensive had been said. The silence lengthens.

RALPH: Come on.

The pig track is a dark tunnel that is broad and beaten. The boys trot swiftly along it. They reach the head of
the mountain.

JACK: There you are.
RALPH: We’ll go straight across the platform and climb tomorrow.
JACK: If you’re frightened of course…

RALPH: Who went first on Castle Rock?

JACK: I went too! And that was daylight.

RALPH: All right who wants to climb the mountain now? Samneric? What about you?

SAM: We ought to go tell Piggy....

ERIC: Yes, we should tell Piggy!

JACK: But Simon went!

44

ROBERT: We ought to go tell Piggy.

BILL: Just in case.

RALPH: You see?
JACK: I’m going up the mountain. I’m going up the mountain to hunt the beast now. Coming?
RALPH: I don’t mind going. That is, if you don’t mind, of course.

RALPH: Oh, not at all.
JACK: Well, then, let’s go!

Side by side, the two start up the mountain. Ralph stops.
RALPH: We’re silly? Why should only two go? If we find anything, two won’t be enough.

JACK: Roger?

ROGER: Yes.

RALPH: That will be three then.
As they walked Ralph thought through things in his mind. If there was no beast--which there wouldn’t be--they
would be fine. But if there was a beast… they would be just three boys with sticks, handicapped by darkness.

RALPH: We are being silly.

JACK: Scared?

RALPH: Of course I am, but we are still being silly.
JACK: If you don’t want to go on, I’ll go by myself!
RALPH: Go on then! We’ll wait here.
RALPH: Why don’t you go? Are you frightened?

JACK: All right. So long.

Ralph and Jack sit and wait for Jack. Ralph is fuming with anger. Roger is impervious as he taps his spear
against a rock. There is a slithering noise above them. There is the sound of someone taking dangerous
strides across rock.

JACK: I saw the thing on top. Roger, keep a good watch. It may be following me. I saw a bulge on top of
the mountain.

RALPH: You were imagining it because nothing would bulge. Not any sort of creature.

45

ROGER: A frog?

Jack shutters and giggles.

JACK: Some frog. There was a noise too. A kind of plop noise. Then the thing bulged.
RALPH: We’ll go and look.

JACK: Now?

RALPH: Of course. Come on.

They crept forward. Roger lagging a little. Jack and Ralph turn at the shoulder of the mountain together.
JACK: Let’s creep forward on hands and knees. Maybe it’s asleep.

Ralph and Roger move forward. Jack, despite his brave words, takes a position at the end. They came to the
flat top of the rock. There stood the creature that bulged.

JACK: Over there--where there used to be a gap between the rocks. A sort of hump--see. Scared Ralph?

RALPH: Can you see anything?

JACK: There, there...

In front of them only three or four yard away is a rock-like hump where no rock should be. Ralph hears the
chattering of his own teeth. Before them, something like a great-ape was sitting asleep with its head between its
knees. Then there is the roaring of the wind from the forest. The creature lifts its head, displaying the ruin of a
face.

Ralph took giant strides across the mountain. He hears the screams of other creatures. The mountain becomes
deserted except for three abandoned sticks and the thing that bowed.

SCENE EIGHT: THE GIFT FOR DARKNESS

Piggy looks up miserably from the dawn-pale beach to the dark mountain.

PIGGY: Are you sure? Really sure, I mean?

RALPH: I told you a dozen times now. We saw it.

PIGGY: Do you think we are safe down here?

RALPH: How the hell should I know?

PIGGY: Are you sure, really?

JACK: Go up and see. Good riddance.

46

RALPH: The beast had teeth and big black eyes.

PIGGY: What are we going to do?
RALPH: I don’t know. I don’t think we could ever fight a thing that size, honestly, you know. We’d talk but

we couldn’t fight a tiger. We’d run and hide. Even Jack would hide.

JACK: What about my hunters?

RALPH: As long as there is light we are brave enough. But then? And now that thing squats by the fire as
though it does not want us to be rescued. So if we can’t have a signal fire, we are beaten.

JACK: What about my hunters?

RALPH: Boys armed with sticks.

There is the sound of an inexpertly blown conch by Jack. Jack continues to blow until everyone leaves
the shelters and comes to the platform.

RALPH: Talk, talk, talk...

Ralph attempts to take the conch from Jack.

JACK: I called this meeting.
RALPH: If you hadn’t called it I should have. You just blew the conch.
JACK: We’ll that’s calling the meeting isn’t?

RALPH: Oh! Take it! Go on and talk!
JACK: I called the assembly because of a lot of things. First, you know we’ve seen the beast. We crawled

up. We were only a few feet away. The beast sat up and looked at us. I don’t know what it does.
We don’t even know what it is.

MAURICE: The beast comes out of the sea.

BILL: Out of the dark...

ROBERT: The trees.

JACK: Quiet. You, listen. The beast is sitting up there no matter what it is.
MAURICE: Perhaps it’s waiting.

BILL: Hunting....

ROBERT: Yes, hunting.

47

JACK: Hunting! Yes, the beast is a hunter. Only--shut up! The next thing is that we could kill it. And the
next thing is that Ralph said that my hunters are no good.

RALPH: I never said that!
JACK: I got the conch. Ralph thinks you are cowards running away from the boar and the beast. And that’s

not all. He’s like Piggy. He says things like Piggy. He isn’t a proper chief.

Jacks voice rises.
JACK: He’s a coward himself. On top--when Roger and me went on-- he stayed behind.

RALPH: I went on too! I went on and then I ran away. So did you.

JACK: Call me a hunter then.

Jack turns to the others giving Ralph no time to answer.
JACK: He’s not a hunter. He never got us meat. He isn’t perfect and we don’t know anything about him. He

gives orders and expects people to obey for nothing. All this talk!

RALPH: Talk, talk, talk! Who called this meeting?

JACK: All right then...all right. Who thinks Ralph ought not to be chief? Hands up whoever wants Ralph not
to be chief?

There is silence. The color drains from Jack’s face. He turns his head and licks his lips. He avoids making eye
contact with anyone else's eyes.

JACK: How many think...all right then.

He lays the conch with great fear at his feet. Humiliating tears run from the corner of each eye.
JACK: I’m not going to play anymore. Not with you. I’m not going to be part of Ralph’s lot. I’m going off

by myself. He can catch his own pigs. Anyone who wants to hunt when I do can come to.

Jack blunders out of the triangle to the beach.

RALPH: Jack!

For a moment Jack pauses. Then he cries out high-pitched and enraged.

JACK: No!!!!

He leaps off the platform and runs along the beach into the forest.

***

Time passes and Piggy is annoyed.

48

PIGGY: I was talking Ralph, and you just stood there like...

RALPH: He’ll come back. When the sun goes down, he’ll come back.

PIGGY: We can do without Jack Merridew. There are others besides him on this island. But now we’ve
really got a beast, though I can hardly believe it, we’ll need to stay close to the platform. There will
be less of a need for him and his hunters. So now we can really decide what’s what.

RALPH: There is no help, Piggy. Nothing to be done.

Simon walks up to Piggy and Ralph. He takes the conch.

SIMON: I thought there might be something we can do. Something we... I think we ought to climb the
mountain.

PIGGY: What good is climbing up to the beast when Ralph and the other two could do nothing?

SIMON: What else is there to do?

PIGGY: I said we could do without a certain person. Now I say we got to decide what is to be done. And I
think I could tell you what Ralph is to say next. The most important thing on the island is the smoke
and you can’t have smoke without a fire.

RALPH: It’s a no go Piggy. We’ve can’t have fire. That thing that sits up there. We’ll have to stay here.

PIGGY: We don’t have fire on the mountain, but what’s wrong with a fire down here? A fire could be built on
the rocks over there, on the sand even. We could make smoke just the same.

RALPH: That’s right.

SIMON: Smoke!

RALPH: Piggy! Only you could think of moving the fire down here. We’ll have the fire down here. We can
build it just between the bathing pool and the platform. Of course the smoke won’t be seen from that
far, but at least we don’t have to be near the...We’ll build the fire now.

The boys begin to collect wood. Even Piggy with the fullness of delight at the expanding liberty from Jack
helps. The wood he collects is close at hand. The others note that they will soon have a fire at night to keep
them warm. The littluns begin to clap. Is it Piggy who starts the fire by aiming his unbroken side of his
glass at the fire. Soon a large fire is made and the boys dance around it.

RALPH: We’ll have to make a small fire next. This one will be too hard to keep.

PIGGY: We could experiment. We could find out how to make a small hot fire and then put green branches
on to make smoke. Some of the leaves must be better for that than others.

RALPH: We’ll have to make a new list of who is to look after the fire.

PIGGY: If you can find them.

49

RALPH: Where’s Maurice?
PIGGY: I expect, no, he wouldn’t go into the forest by himself, would he?
RALPH: But we got to have a list. There’s you and me and Samneric. Where’s Bill and Roger?
PIGGY: I expect they are gone. I expect they won’t want to play either. I saw them sailing off when we was

gathering wood. They went off that way. The same way Jack went.
RALPH: They have always been making trouble haven’t they?
PIGGY: We can do without them. We’ll be happier now, won’t we?

The twins come along, dragging a large log behind them. They throw that log onto the fire.

SAM: We can do alright on our own?
ERIC: Can’t we?

Ralph appears to be in thought for a very long time. He does not see Piggy go to the twins and whisper. Nor
does he see the three boys go off together in the forest.

Piggy: Here you are.

Ralph comes back to reality with a jolt. Piggy and the other two stand next to him. They arms are laden with
fruit.

PIGGY: I thought perhaps we ought to have a feast, kind of.

RALPH: Thanks! Thanks!
PIGGY: We’ll do alright on our own. It’s them that haven’t go common sense. It’s them that make trouble on

the island.

RALPH: Where is Simon?
PIGGY: I don’t know.
RALPH: You don’t think he’s climbing the mountain?
PIGGY: He might be. He’s cracked.

Far along the beach, Jack is standing before a small group of boys. He is looking brilliantly happy.
JACK: Hunting. We’ll hunt and I’m going to be chief. And then--about the beast?
MAURICE: That’s right.

ROGER: Yes!

50