Chapter 3: Huts on the Beach

This chapter delves deeper into the growing tensions on the island and the emerging personalities of key characters. The boys' efforts to build shelters highlight the divide between those focused on survival and those drawn to more primal pursuits.

Quote: "The compulsion to track down and kill that was swallowing him up"

This quote refers to Jack's increasing obsession with hunting, which is beginning to consume his entire being. It foreshadows the violent turn his character will take as the story progresses.

Highlight: Jack's descent into savagery is further emphasized by the description of madness coming into his eyes when violence is mentioned.

Ralph, in contrast to Jack, is portrayed as struggling to maintain order and focus on rescue. His frustration with the other boys' lack of commitment to building shelters is evident.

Quote: "He wanted to explain how people were never quite what you thought they were"

This line reveals Ralph's growing disillusionment with his fellow castaways and his difficulty in understanding their motivations.

Simon's character is introduced in more depth in this chapter. He is shown to be kind and helpful, assisting the younger boys in finding fruit they can't reach. His philosophical nature is also revealed:

Quote: "Green candle-like buds"

This description of the island's flora, as observed by Simon, showcases the beauty of nature that most of the other boys fail to appreciate.

The chapter also touches on the boys' growing fear of the unknown:

Quote: "As if something's behind you all the time in the jungle"

This line reflects the increasing paranoia and fear that is taking hold among the boys, particularly regarding the possibility of a "beast" on the island.