Chapter 8: Summary and Analysis

Gift For the Darkness

Ralph now regards the beast as the group’s biggest danger on the island. He even believes that the beast might be actively conspiring to foil their rescue. Jack, on the other hand, sees the beast as a challenge and is not happy with Ralph’s pessimistic outlook. When Ralph states that the Jack’s crew might not stand a chance against the beast, Jack is offended and convenes a meeting.

Ralph is equally annoyed by Jack’s bluster and rhetoric, but he allows Jack to take the lead at the meeting. Jack, however, taunts and antagonizes Ralph at the meeting; he likens Ralph to Piggy and calls him inept and a coward. Jack orders the boys to elect a new chief, but the group remains unconvinced. Humiliated by the group’s refusal, Jack states that he does not need their help and wanders off into the forest all by himself.

Simon suggests that the group face the beast on the mountain during the day. Though it is a reasonable idea, some boys object to the suggestion. Simon, too, withdraws from the group as a result.

The group has now lost two of its most prominent members: Jack, the enthusiastic one, and Simon, the calm and reflective one. Piggy intervenes and suggests that the group build a fire on the beach instead. Even though the beach might not be the ideal location for a fire signal, Piggy suggests that doing so would at least keep the boys at a safe distance from the beast. With Jack seemingly no longer in the scheme, Piggy lights the fire and finds himself feeling confident.

Some of the older boys, however, are not happy about Piggy’s newfound confidence. Ralph worries that some of the boys might deflect in favor of Jack’s leadership. As he wonders where Simon could have gone, Piggy and the twins leave to collect fruit in order to celebrate having built a new fire.

Simon is in his retreat, and Jack convenes a meeting nearby with boys who have pledged allegiance to him. Jack suggests that the crew kill a pig and offer the dead animal as a peace offering to the beast. Jack now seems to believe that the beast can be appeased with a sacrifice. Jack is not only superstitious but is also unwilling to examine the “beast” in daylight, thereby showing that he really believes that what he saw on the mountain was in fact a beast. Simon overhears Jack’s statements from his retreat.

Soon, Jack’s crew attacks a sow while it is feeding its piglets and manages to kill the adult pig after a chase. Jack decapitates the pig and fastens the severed head to a pike and prepares to offer it to the beast.

Meanwhile, Simon thinks that the sow’s decapitated head is able to communicate with him. Golding writes that the sow’s eyes “were dim with the infinite cynicism of adult life. They assured Simon that everything was a bad business.” Simon then tells the head that he agrees with its assessment. He then has a vision in which the flies swarming the dead pig’s body approach him and drink his sweat. He then sees the decapitated head grinning at him, and Golding calls it the “Lord of the Flies.”

Simon now finds himself drawn to the Lord of the Flies. He even discerns some abstract ancient element in the spirit. He fears Jack might unwittingly enable a demonic spirit to take hold of the island. With Jack’s sacrifice and the spirit of the Lord of the Flies, Golding alludes to Satan; indeed the author at this juncture also mentions “Beelzebub,” the Hebrew word for Satan.

Meanwhile, Ralph and Piggy discuss the implications of the situation they find themselves in. Though Ralph would have preferred to have this conversation with Simon, he is pleased to hear Piggy’s opinion that Jack’s reckless ways lie at the heart of this conflict.

Just then, Jack and his crew, smeared in clay, storm out of the woods and startle the littluns. Jack has shed all his clothing, except his belt. As Jack’s crew head toward the fire, Piggy tries to protect it from being extinguished. The crew, however, manages to steal some embers in order to roast the pig. Jack then raises his spear and announces that the aim of his crew is to hunt, feast, and have fun.

When Jack departs, two Maurice and Robert, now members of the hunting crew, state that “the chief has spoken.” Piggy had secured the conch during the ambush, fearing that Jack may attempt to steal it. However, Jack displays no interest in the conch, and this shows his disregard for Simon’s leadership.

The other boys on the beach are excited by Jack’s promise of meat. Ralph convenes a meeting in a bid to regain authority, but the boys are allured by the prospect of meat and think that it might be more beneficial than maintaining the fire signal. Bill then takes the conch and suggests that the boys attend the feast. He also suggests that being a “savage” might be “jolly good fun.” Bill’s views are supported by Samneric, and even though Ralph tells them that they can hunt their own meat, the three state that they are not hunters and that they dislike hunting.

Simon continues to communicate with the Lord of the Flies. The pig’s severed head seems to have grown, and the spirit now talks to him in different voices. It also seems to urge Simon to seek fun, and Simon is deeply troubled and overwhelmed by the message.

Through Jack’s decision to appease the beast with a sacrifice, Golding seems to make another important statement about human nature: that humans might be able to develop a spiritual outlook to life if they are left to their own devices. However, it must be noted that only Simon seems capable of discerning the flaw with Jack’s spiritual approach. Only he is able to sense that the spirit embodied by Jack might not be a benevolent one. Jack, on the other hand, seems unconcerned with the nature of the sacrifice, and this lack of concern foreshadows his eventual fall.