Chapter 4 Summarization: Painted Faces & Long Hair

The boys are slowly adjusting to life on the island.

The small boys are now known as 'littleuns', and the big ones are the 'biguns'. There are three inbetween, who sort of float there: Simon, Robert, and Maurice.

The littluns spend their time playing on the beach; they make sandcastles and draw pictures in the sand. Some of their names are Henry, Johnny, and Percival. Percival cries a lot, missing his mother; Johnny is belligerent; and Henry is the biggest and the boss.

Jack takes Samneric, the twins, Roger, and Bill to a pool at the end of the river. He had them paint his face with red and black clay, figuring that the pigs couldn't smell him; they could just see a pink blob. Therefore, his face was smeared with charcoal and clay, making him look odd. After his mask was complete, they all went off hunting, in order to get meat and satisfy Jack's bloodthirsty urges.

Piggy wanted to make a clock, or a sundial, but Ralph quickly dismissed the idea; he made fun of it, saying that next Piggy would want to build an airplane, TV set, and a steam engine. Then, all of a sudden, Ralph sees smoke on the horizon. It's coming from a ship. He quickly glances up at their own fire, and sees that it has gone out.

He races up there, with Simon and Maurice following, and Piggy went slowly behind. The ship disappears as they watch helplessly and sad. Ralph is absolutely furious that the fire has gone out, for it was Jack and the choir's job to keep it going.

When Jack comes back with the rest, carrying a pig slung between them, he gets verbally attacked by Ralph. It's a quiet attack, which is much worse than a loud one. Jack tries to defend what he did, saying that hunting was important, but then he falls silent when he hears that there was a ship; there is nothing he can say to that. He will have to live with the guilt.

Ralph and Piggy are still mad, but they all start the fire again and roast the pig. The meat is roasted on sticks over the fire, with the boys getting just as burned. Piggy wants some, and is at first refused; then Simon tosses a hunk of pork over to him. Jack snaps, standing up and giving a long rant about how he caught the pig.

Piggy, Ralph, and Jack continue the fight about the fire going out, and the ship getting away.


Cheers,
Kate

PS If there's more to add at the end, I apologize. I had to go to my piano lesson (it was Thursday).