Lord of the Flies Chapter 5 & 6

Chapters 5 of Lord of the Flies shows beginning of the break down of society on the island. The whole beginning of chapter 5, Ralph is getting ready for an assembly. The problems he addresses are: not going to the bathroom by the rocks, not everyone helping to build the huts and keeping the fire going. The group, especially the littl'uns, don't take it very seriously. Jack also keeps interrupting Ralph, even though Ralph has the conch. Ralph also questions why society is breaking down when the island was fun at first, but then people began getting frightened.This is the point in the story where the 'Beastie' becomes a bigger part of the story.

Jack blames the littl'uns for starting the scare of the 'Beastie' (the boy with the mulberry mark). This is a biblical reference to 'Cain and Abel', in which Cain killed his brother Abel with jealous rage. In return, God marked Cain for his sins so when people saw Cain they would be frightened. The boy with the mulberry mark is like Cain because the boy with the mulberry mark instilled fear into the whole group.

During this chapter, it is also implied that there is no beast but the boys are the beast themselves. For example, p. 83:
"What would a beast eat?"
"Pig"
"We eat pig"
Also on p. 89, Simon brings up this point.
"What I mean is...maybe it's only us"


Chapter 6 starts off on an ironic note. In chapter five, Ralph desperately wishes for a sign from the grown-up world while the others wish for their homes. This comes true, but in a dark way. A pilot from a war going on up above the island falls to the island. The pilot is soon discovered by the twins Sam and Eric on the mountain, they mistake the pilot for the beast and instill even more fear into the groups.

Ralph, Jack and the others immediately round up a group to search the island for the beast. On the way to the mountain, Jack discovers a 'shelter' and a large boulder placed precariously on the cliff. Jack wants to move everyone up there and the group agrees with him, but Ralph. Ralph makes a point that there's no water close by and no food. Ralph commands the group to move on. This is the beginning of the signs of a breakdown of the groups. P. 108 "Mutinously, the boys fell silent or muttering"

Chapters 5 & 6 are a turning point in Lord of the Flies because it shows the beginning of a breakdown in society and a breakdown in groups. The beast also becomes a bigger part in the story.