Lord of the Flies - Chapter 7

What does Ralph daydream about?

About going home to a nice warm, clean bed, with books to read.

What does Ralph long for?

About how dirty his clothes are, how torn they are, how long his hair is, etc. He really wants to take a bath.

How does Ralph get caught up in the irrational lust to injure and kill?

After Ralph hits the pig with a spear, he decided that hunting is good and feels like it made him more of a man. The game, begun innocently by Robert and Ralph, turns vicious as the boys including Ralph get caught up in the bloodlust and desire to kill and hurt. With their ritual chanting of "kill the pig" a crowd hysteria erupts. Robert has been slightly injured but badly frightened. On can be assured that Robert will not play the pig again.

Why is it especially horrific and savage when Robert says, "You want a real pig... because you've got to kill him" and Jack replies, "Use a littleun"?

Although said as a joke at which everyone laughs, the idea is very primitive, reminiscent of a human sacrifice. One can imagine the boys killing a littlun at some point, either deliberately or driven by mob mentality. After all, even in Ralph, the best most responsible of them, the lust to to hurt and kill overtakes him.

Simon says twice to Ralph, "You'll get back all right." Is there a reason he singles Ralph out, rather than saying: "We'll all get back all right"?

He may be singling Ralph out because Ralph is especially tense at this point. On the other hand, it may be something else. Quite possibly, Golding is giving the reader some more foreshadowing.

What is Ralph's opinion of his appearance as the chapter begins? What does his feeling indicate?

He thinks he looks sloppy, and it bothers him to realize that he is becoming accustomed to the dirt. The passage confirms his desire to return to a civilized state. In the other boys, however, Ralph sees the same signs of decay and with a heavy heart realizes, "that he did not mind;" it was "normal" (110).

When the boar charges, what does Ralph do?

Hits it with his spear.

At this point, what contrast is presented by Ralph's daydream?

It serves to contrast the warmth and security of what was with his present predicament: innocence of his past confronts the ugliness of his present.

Later, Ralph asks Jack why Jack hates him. Why does he?

Jack resents that Ralph is the leader because he wants to be. The rest of the boys do not show obvious hatred, but a leader who cannot solve the dilemma they are in is not much of one.

Who volunteers to go alone through the jungle to tell Piggy the boys will return after dark?

Simon

When Ralph gets caught up in the pig hunt, what does his reaction tell you about him?

That he has lost his innocence and become like the rest; a savage.

Why do you suppose the author lets the reader know at the outset that it is the pilot and his parachute, not a beast that the boys find? Would there not have been greater suspense if the reader knew no more than the boys?

The chapter might have been more suspenseful if the reader did not know: in knowing, however, the reader focuses attention on the boys reactions. Apparently the author wanted us not to get involved in the suspense, but rather to concentrate on the boys as they get involved. Readers can see the futility (uselessness) of intelligence trying to conquer fear. Even if the boys knew the beast was a dead pilot, it be too grotesque a thing for them to deal with, albeit not quite so frightening as an imaginary beast.

How does Chapter Seven end?

The three boys see the beast, drop their sticks, and run off the mountain.

What do Ralph, Jack and Roger find when they get to the top of the mountain?

They find the dead body of the pilot. His parachute lines are tangled around rocks, which causes it to move when the wind blows. They believe its the beastie.

What distracts the boys from the search for the Beast?

"Castle Rock"