Contents
CHAPTER NINE
Overview
Simon recovers from his fit, discovers the “beast” is a dead parachutist, and sets out to tell the others. During Jack’s storm-lashed feast, the boys’ frenzied dance mistakes Simon for the beast and they kill him. The storm frees the parachutist and the sea carries both bodies away, sealing the boys’ descent.
Summary
Amid oppressive heat and a building storm, Simon wakes from his fit near the pig’s head. Drawn up the mountain, Simon finds the corpse of a parachutist tangled in lines and realizes the feared “beast” is a dead man. He frees the body from its humiliating motions and resolves to tell the others.
Meanwhile at the pool, Ralph and Piggy, uneasy and hungry, decide to go to Jack’s feast to ensure nothing goes wrong. They arrive to find Jack enthroned, the boys fed and painted. Jack claims authority, offers protection from the beast, and invites defections; thunder and first raindrops unsettle the group.
As the storm breaks, Jack leads a savage dance. Ralph and Piggy, seeking safety from the terror, join the circling chant. In the lightning-streaked darkness, Simon stumbles from the forest trying to speak of a body on the hill. The frenzied boys mistake Simon for the beast and, in a collective surge, beat and tear him until he dies.
The storm’s wind inflates the parachute, sending the airman’s body drifting over the trees and out to sea, terrifying the boys into flight. After the rain, the calm night tide lifts Simon’s body and carries it seaward, attended by phosphorescent sea creatures, while the island returns to an eerie stillness.
Who Appears
- SimonRecovers from a fit, discovers the beast is a dead parachutist, tries to warn the others, and is killed in the frenzy.
- RalphVisits Jack’s feast with Piggy; argues for rescue and fire; joins the storm dance, becoming complicit in Simon’s death.
- JackPainted chief at the feast; asserts power, recruits boys, leads the frenzied dance that culminates in Simon’s killing.
- PiggyAccompanies Ralph to the feast; uneasy but participates in the dance amid the storm and shares responsibility for the tragedy.
- RogerMimes the pig in the dance, then joins the hunters, helping drive the frenzy that leads to Simon’s death.
- SamnericPresent at the feast, nervous and suggestible; part of the crowd swept into Jack’s authority and the storm dance.