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In the beginning chapters of Lord of the Flies, William Golding foreshadows
action that will come in the eleventh and twelfth chapters. He does this by
introducing various conflicts. These conflicts are Ralph versus Jack, weak,
represented by Piggy, versus strong and Ralph, representing order, reason, and
humanity, versus chaos. It is obvious from the first time that Ralph and Jack
meet that there will be a struggle between them. In chapter one when the two
meet Jack automatically proclaims himself the leader while Ralph has himself in
mind for the position (22). Although both boys wish to be in charge, they think
very differently. Ralph proves himself to be logical and responsible by
suggesting the building of a signal fire. He desires order, and rescue is his
priority. Jack, on the other hand, sees the situation as a game and becomes
obsessed with hunting. He even allows the fire to burn out so that a passing
ship cannot see the smoke (67). As the novel progresses, the two distrust each
other more and more, and Jack begins to adopt animal-like characteristics. For
example, at the beginning of chapter three, Jack is crawling on the ground
looking for pig tracks (48). These differences and confrontations, such as the
one where the boys are on a hunt for the beast and Ralph asks Jack why he hates
him, lead to the final conflict between the boys. By chapter eleven, Jack's
tribe has completely separated from Ralph's group. Ralph, Piggy and Samneric try
to reason with Jack, but the tension that has been building since the beginning
of the novel finally erupts into a physical altercation. Because of the clues
that Golding has given the reader throughout the book, this event comes as no
surprise. Another conflict brewing during the plot is one of the weak versus the
strong. Piggy is overweight, nearsighted, and asthmatic. His physical
inferiority to the other boys on the island makes him a representation of
weakness. Darwin's theory of natural selection basically says that only the
strong survive. In this natural, wild setting where survival is key, it becomes
clear to the reader that Piggy will not make it off the island alive. Surely
enough, Piggy is knocked off of a cliff and killed as he tries to intervene
between Jack and Ralph (180). The third conflict illustrated in the earlier
chapters is one of order versus chaos. Ralph represents logic, responsibility,
civility, reason, and order. He is clearly feeling frustrated by the immature
actions of the boys when they refuse to help build shelters on the beach. The
children would rather run about wildly and play than do anything grownup.
Despite the emphasis that Ralph places on the importance of the fire, he is the
only one who cares about it. In the final chapter, the boys from Jack's tribe
are hunting him with the intent to kill. Roger has sharpened a stick at both
ends, implying that the fate of the slaughtered sow awaits Ralph as well. The
final conflict is between the age-old antithesis order and chaos. The boys, with
the exception of Ralph, have lost nearly all of their human behavior and are
running wild. They represent chaos. Ralph has managed to maintain rationality
amidst madness, and he represents order. The examples of foreshadowing early in
the novel give the reader an idea of what types of conflict to expect. They hint
that this is not a mere story of innocent children marooned on a desert island.
These examples begin the weaving of an intricate plot full of terrorism,
savagery, and personal battles.
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