Chapter 2 Summary
The boys blow on the conch shell and form a meeting on the beach. The boys unanimously decide to assign specific tribe members the role of hunting. Many of the boys realize that they are going to be stranded on the island for a very long time. This especially scares the "littleuns," or the young boys on the island. One of the boys has a nightmare, and believes that he sees a beast in the middle of the night. All of the other young boys are scared of this possibility, and they completely freak out. To calm them down, Ralph reassures the boys that there are no "beasts" on the island. To increase the chance of rescue, Ralph decides to build a signal fire on the highest point of the mountain. The boys decide to collect all necessary supplies for a fire: wood and Piggy's glasses. They are able to start the fire, but unfortunately it quickly dies down. Jack's choir is chosen to take care of the signal fire. Jack's team abandon their responsibility to go hunting. The signal fire goes out of control and burns down many trees. The boys act like nothing happened, and the boy who dreamed of the beast mysteriously disappears.
"'You got your small fire all right.'" Chapter 2, pg. 41
"'You got your small fire all right.'" Chapter 2, pg. 41