Piggy's Dairy

Lord of the Flies

Chapter 5 - Beast From Water

"Some New Rules"

Perspective: Piggy

Dear Diary,

Ralph had to call a meeting after Jack and everyone else went hunting and left the fire to go out. He called a meeting when the sun was almost gone and a lot of the littuns got scared from the dark because they were worried about the beastie. But Ralph tried to lay down some rules that didn't go well. Here they are:

Actually the first one was just him using his authority to show that he had some. He said we had agreed to bring drinking water from the stream and then put it in coconuts but after a few days we stopped doing that and everyone drinks from the stream. He didn't make a rule but it was a good example about how we don't follow through with things. Second, we need to go to the bathroom on the rocks like it was decided. The tide will wash it away there. Some of the little ones have been taken short near the food supply and the shelters where we sleep when they are taken short and that is gross and dirty. We can not get sick here because unlike home here we don't have adults taking care of us. And it is just gross. Then everything got very tense. because when Ralph finally paused and looked around everyone new what was coming next. The fire. Jack was the other boys didn't know what was important and they let the fire go out. Everyone knew Ralph must bring it up in the meeting but they were tense and even the littleluns who didn't understand could feel it in the air. Ralph then spoke and said that now on two boys would be spending the night by the fire and keep it alive because it is our only chance of rescue and if it goes out so does our lives in a way. And because we almost burned down the island and killed the boy with the birthmark we are now only allowed to have the big fire on the mountain. we cant take little ones down to the beach. If we want to cook something we have to go up the mountain now.

Then we came to the topic that the littleuns cried about at night and cause the sense of fear in the group. The beastie. Scientifically there is no possibility of a beastie on the island. It is too small of a island and the type of thing the boy described is rare anywhere. The thought of it is ludicrous. Jack said he has been all over the island and hasn't seen anything. Between me tell ling them that it couldn't exist and Jack telling them he hasn't seen it on the island almost helped. But then a little boy by the name of Percival Wemys Madison said that he saw it come out of the water and then he says he saw it in the forest. It took a while to make out his discursive statement but once the boys heard it they took it seriously. But Simon then said it was him and the beastie didn't exist. But he did say that the beastie could be(I don't think everyone understood this) inside of us like a ghost. That it was the dirtiest thing about human nature. It was the evil that resides in us, the urge to kill, like how Jack is, cruel and evil. But everyone but me and Simon seemed to protest Ralph and no one follows him. Jack is competing with Ralph and doesn't listen to him. The whole meeting lacked decorum. He jeeringly laughs at him. The other boys follow him although he seems like a effigy of anger and cruelness to me.

If the boys had enough respect to realize that I could get us out of this situation. I could keep them in order and convince them there was no beastie. I could make everything be civilized like things are back in England. But no one likes me enough to give me the time of day. If only they would listen........