Lord of the Flies: Chapter 4

"You let the fire out."

This chapter is full of action and indications of what kind of characters are in this novel. First, we see that the younger boys simply want to play, but some of the older boys would rather wreak havoc. Next, we see that Jack is still as adamant about catching a pig. Then we see that Ralph, Simon, and Piggy are still full of ideas and want to figure out how to make life as easy as possible while on the island. There are many things that happen in this chapter, but I want to focus on one thing in particular: the conflict that arises between Ralph and Jack. 

While swimming, Ralph sees smoke on the horizon -- smoke from a ship. In a frenzy to be rescued, he and the other boys scramble to the top of the mountain, knowing that their own fire should be producing smoke to signal the ship. Rescue is, quite literally, within their grasp -- and then they reach the top of the mountain and they see that the fire has died. Jack's hunters were in charge of the fire, and yet, the fire has died. The ship passes along the horizon and is no more, and the boys are stuck where they are. Almost instantly, Jack and his hunters come into view, a long procession of wild scavengers with their prize.

They caught their pig. They let the fire out. Ralph doesn't think it's a fair trade.

What happens next is what makes me most curious: while Jack and his hunters are relaying their grand adventure, telling of all the ways they caught the pig and made it submit to their wills, Ralph doesn't say a thing. I imagine him standing there before the smouldering ashes, and the fire is instead in his eyes. I can't imagine what he would be feeling at a time like that -- they've been stranded on that island for what could be months, and all Jack has ever cared about is catching a pig. Now, at the most crucial moment for them all, Jack has gotten his pig -- but it has come with an extremely high price.

Finally, Ralph speaks. You let the fire out. Jack is, of course, quick to defend himself, and it almost makes me sad to think of what he is feeling. He has finally caught his pig, has finally proved himself as a worthy hunter and potential leader. He was expecting to come back to the rest of the boys and receive endless praise for his bravery and ideas. Instead, he's met with the knowledge that they might have meat, but they could have had something so much greater. Here is where Ralph finally loses his composure -- and I find myself feeling sorry for Jack. He seems to be something of the antagonist in this story, but I've always had a soft spot for villains. When Ralph gets angry, Jack tries to defend himself, tries to make light of it, but it's obvious he's made a mistake. In reality, he's just a boy who wanted to catch a pig. I understand, I think.

When he's pressed, he gets angry at Piggy. His defense mechanism is violence, and this is a horrible turn of events that he was not expecting. One of the things I like most about this chapter is the fact that after Jack has apologized and they've built a new fire and everything seems to have calmed down, they let Jack and his hunters tell the tale of how they caught the pig. It's important to those boys to be seen as worthy; the entire system is extremely fragile, and they don't really know how to govern themselves. It's a small victory, and although I believe the conflict between Ralph and Jack will only grow as the story progresses, I still have hope that things can and will work out.