Samenvatting/ summary
There's a war going on. A group of children is evacuated from the battlefield by
plane. During the flight, an attack occurs, the plane falls off the shore of a
desert island, the pilot and the entire adult crew are killed. The machine is
completely destroyed, most of the passengers are killed, but the boys manage
to reach a desert island. Young survivors slowly begin to understand their
current situation
Ralph talks to a boy nicknamed "Piglet". The island is a mysterious and
fascinating place for children. While playing in the lagoon, the boys find a shell.
When Ralph blows it, the shell makes a loud and distinctive noise. At this
sound, the rest of the survivors converge. Ralph is 12, most of the boys are
only 6. There are also twins Sam and Erik on the island, a group of choristers
wearing capes and Jack. The roles are quickly established. Ralph becomes the
leader and the shell acts as a symbol of leadership. Jack heads the choristers as
head hunter.
Ralph, Jack and Simon climb to the top to find out if the actual place they are
on is an island. On the way, they see a piglet tangled in vines. Jack tries to kill
him, but a moment's hesitation allows the animal to escape. Jack is
disappointed and promises himself to be more determined next time.
Ralph uses the shells to call meetings. During one of them, one of the younger
boys claims that he saw a serpent-monster at night. Nobody seems to believe
him, but everyone feels a bit afraid, they realize that the island is not only a
great place to play, but there are also many dangers here.
At Ralph's orders, the boys light a fire on the top so that they can be seen by
the passing ships. The fire is started thanks to the lenses in Piglet's glasses, but
holding it all the time proves to be too difficult and tedious. Eventually, the fire
gets out of hand and a forest fire breaks out. In this confusion, one of the
younger boys is killed.
Another Ralph initiative is building shacks. Children eagerly go to work, treating
it as another game, but they quickly lose their enthusiasm. Only Ralph and
Simon are working at the third hut, and the rest are having fun. There are
tensions between Ralph and Jack, competing for influence and deciding on
responsibilities. One of them concerns the neglect of burning fire. Jack and the