Lord of the Flies Response

      Chapter 8 of "Lord of the Flies" was a very crucial chapter to the story, where we got information of Jack leaving the group and making his own, and some insight to what the beast that is referred to so often in this story actually is. In this chapter, we hear the characters have this conversation:[Piggy:] "I don't agree with all Jack said, but with some.  'Course there isn't a beast in the forest.  How could there be?  What would a beast eat?"
"Pig."
"We eat pig."
"Piggy!"
"I got the conch!" said Piggy indignantly.  "Ralph--they ought to shut up, oughtn't they?  You shut up, you littluns!  What I mean is that I don't agree about this here fear.  Of course there isn't nothing to be afraid of in the forest.  Why--I been there myself!  You'll be talking about ghosts and such things next.  We know what goes on and if there's something wrong, there's someone to put it right."
He took off his glasses and blinked at them.  The sun had gone as if the light had been turned off. [...]
"Life," said Piggy expansively, "is scientific, that's what it is.  In a year or two when the war's over they'll be traveling to Mars and back.  I know there isn't no beast--not with claws and all that, I mean--but I know there isn't no fear either."
Piggy paused.
"Unless--"
Ralph moved restlessly.
"Unless what?"
"Unless we get frightened of people." (83-84)

      This conversation between Ralph and Piggy is important to the story because it gives readers some insight to what the beast could be. Up until now, the only descriptions of the beast are given to us by the boys who either think they witnessed it, or try to imagine what it would be like. For example, we hear descriptions such as the beast having sharp claws and big fangs, but we can deduce from Piggy's dialogue that the beast may be one of the boys, that the beast could be born from their fear of one another, or that the boys are needlessly implementing the image of the beast into one another's heads, despite there not being a beast at all. Either way, this lets us know that the beast is not what the boys think, but something much more sinister. This will be important because we will be hearing about the beast often throughout the book.