Chapter Twelve, Cry of the Hunters, is the final chapter to Lord of the Flies. Jack and his tribe of savages hunt down Ralph, lighting the entire island on fire in the process. Ralph is actually betrayed by Sam, but that's because Sam is afraid of his punishment. In the very end, Ralph is chased RIGHT into his rescuer, and immediately the hunt stops. Once in the presence of a more formal representation of society (a naval officer) the boys forget the huge change they went through all those days (how long were they even there?) and go back to being little English schoolboys again.
I think it's really ironic how Ralph kept insisting throughout the entire book that it was the fire that was going to save them all, and you get an impression that HE will be the one that saves the boys. But in reality, it's Jack who has the fire lit, and it's Jack's fire that is seen by the naval officer's ship. All the times the boys had the fire lit on the mountain and on the beach, it went unnoticed, but the ONE time Jack demanded that the fire be lit, it worked.
I can't help but wonder what might have happened AFTER the end of the book. I know the story was purely fictional, but still. How would the boys return to regular society after being turned into savages? I mean, Roger would probably have some major issues, seeing as he killed Piggy intentionally and beat up countless other boys. Poor Ralph was the only one that had sense in the end, and do we even know what happened to the littleuns? Overall, I loved the book, and I thought it was a great study of human nature. I got a lot out of it that I didn't realize I would, and it was a great learning experience.
Catie!! You made an excellent point with how it was ironic that Jack lit the fire when all along it was Ralph who said to keep the fire going. That is a really good point. I didn't realize that before! Jack seems to have had luck with the whole fire situation, because he only wanted it lit that once and it happened to work. It must have been hard for the boys to return back to normal society. I think it must have been like Tom Hanks in the movies Castaway. It's the same concept. And I agree, reading it was a great learning experience. Great post!
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