The activities of Jack and his hunters appeal to the
primal urges of man that reside in the boys. For, the act of hunting engages the boys
in an aggressive action and appeals to the hunter/gatherer savage instinct that yet
resides within them.
As the boys climb the mountain to hunt
the "beast," Jack finds pig droppings and says to
Ralph,
"Ralph--we need meat even if we are hunting the
other thing."
"If you mean going the right way, we'll
hunt."
Then, when Ralph is
able to strike a pig with his spear, he is "full of fright and apprehension and pride"
as he now has done what the others have not been able to do. He tells the others that
he struck the pig and wounded it;
"He sunned himself in their new respect and felt
that hunting was good after
all."
Telling the others what
he has done, Ralph attempts to regain his position of authority and he "tried for their
attention." And, as the boys gather in their mock hunt, Ralph is "carried away by a
sudden thick excitement" and grabs Eric's spear, jabbing at Robert who plays the pig.
But, after Robert is hurt, Ralph gathers himself, rationalizing his and the others
savagery uneasily by comparing it to one of their rougher sports played back
home,
"Just a
game...I got jolly badly hurt at rugger
once."
However, his remark is
ignored by the others who discuss how the ritual should really be played out: Roger
says that they need a real pig "like a real hunt," and Robert, who has been hurt by the
"game," says that a boy could be dressed like one and they could "pretend to knock me
over and all that." But, Jack interjects, "Use a littlun," and everybody laughs,
denoting how savage they truly have become. This laughter makes Ralph sit up. He
gathers himself and attempts to think through what has occurred and what should be
done. Ralph is ashamed of what he has done and tries to return himself to the rational
leader that he has been.
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