Chapter 5: Beast From Water
At another assembly, Ralph mentions that work isn't getting done, and rules aren't being followed. He tries to drive home the fact that "...we ought to die before we let the fire out."

All the young children, however, are preoccupied with the Beast, which they still believe in as some kind of animal living on the island. Jack says that he's been everywhere, and there is no beast, and Piggy says that a beast can't exist in a world with science. However, a littl'un still steps up and says that he saw something horrid in the forest (which was actually Simon returning in the dark from his peaceful area). Another littl'un says that there's a "Beast from the water," which is further debated. Simon finally tries to settle the matter by saying that there may be a beast, but that "it's only us." However, this is responded to with mocking and joking, as it seems a preposterous notion.

During the assembly, Jack tries brings up the fact that Ralph isn't a good chief, because he can't hunt or sing. Piggy and others are against the idea, but Jack is starting to become more and more savage and overpowering. The assembly soon falls apart and the hunters begin to chant and dance.

Significance: Simon is the only one to realize that there really isn't any "beast," but just a force of evil or savagery inside all of them that can manifest itself in different ways. The boys are beginning to split into two factions, those that support Ralph and those that support Jack and his more savage ways. The conflict between them is continuing to build up.

Chapter 6: Beast From Air
A man from a shot-down fighter plane parachutes down from the sky. The man is already dead, however, and the body and parachute float up to the island, eventually snagging on rocks. The wind continually grabs the parachute, lifting the body up and down, which is seen by Samneric. Terrified, they run to tell about this "Beast from the Air," and an assembly is called. Most everyone now thinks they are in grave danger, and Jack suggests they go hunt it.

Jack, Ralph, and a group of hunters set out to get the Beast, while Piggy stays at the beach with the littl'uns. They first check Castle Rock, where they had never been before. Although they find nothing, Jack thinks the place would be a great fort, and he and his hunters heave a large boulder off a ledge. Ralph prods them along, and they decide to continue to the mountain to look for the Beast.

Significance: The fighter plane being shot down at the beginning symbolizes the war going on in the real world, and links it to the boys and their island. Jack's intrigue with Castle Rock foreshadows his future use of the location as a fortification.

Chapter 7: Shadows and Tall Trees
Ralph begins to ponder about their appearance and dirtiness as they walk to the mountain; he would love to get his hair cut back down to a half inch. Simon sees Ralph staring out to sea and repeatedly reassures him that they will get home safely.

Jack, his hunting instincts always engaged, finds traces of a boar which they begin to hunt. Ralph manages to hit it with his spear, but the animal escapes. Another tribal dance is formed, with a boy named Robert as the Pig. Unlike before, Ralph actively participates, and their acting becomes overly realistic, actually striking and hurting Robert.

Finally, they move on towards the mountain, and send Simon back to tell Piggy they won't be back soon. Jack scales the mountain and reports a sighting of a moving creature, initiating a mass climb to the summit. When they see what they believe to be the Beast (the body being lifted by the parachute), they make haste to leave.

Significance: Simon's reassurance of their rescue strengthens his position as a positive and good character. Ralph, on the other hand, showed his faltering in blocking his inherent savagery when he joined in on the pig hunt and dance. Even to Ralph, "the desire to squeeze and hurt was overmastering." Even the mock pig hunt is becoming something of danger and greater brutality.

Chapter 8: Gift for the Darkness
Piggy is told about the encounter, and everyone tries to decide what to do. Jack calls an assembly, and insists that the Beast is a major threat that should be hunted. Ralph upsets him, though, when he calls his hunters cowards. Enraged, Jack asks if anyone thinks Ralph shouldn't be chief. Nobody responds, so he asks again for anyone to come with him, then runs off with tears in his eyes. Their signal fire is being blocked by the Beast, as they believe, so they decide to move the fire to the beach. When they get there, they notice that most of the older boys did in fact decide to go off with Jack, except for Ralph, Simon Piggy and Samneric.

Jack's tribe begins to hunt, and they come across a sow and baby piglets in the clearing near Simon's domain. They attack and kill the mother sow, while the piglets escape. The head is severed and put on a stick, which is embedded into the ground as a gift for the Beast. Jack finally realizes that they'll need fire to cook the meat, so they raid Ralph's camp and steal a flaming log, and invite them to come feast. Ralph maintains that the fire is more important, but has to be reminded why by Piggy.

Simon encounters the Pig's head, and manages to start talking to the thing, although it is mostly in his imagination. The black cloud of flies coating the head causes it to now be called "The Lord of the Flies." The Lord of the Flies says "I'm part of you...We're going to have fun on this island." It continues to say that if Simon tries to talk to the others about the Beast, that he will be killed by everyone, including Ralph and Piggy. After taking this all in, Simon feels a faint coming on and collapses.

Significance: Jack's killing of the mother pig shows his great lack of foresight, as by killing the mother, they were losing all the other piglets who would've been a future source of food. The events with Simon are also some of the most important in the book, hence the book's name. Simon's conversation with it is the basis of the theme of the novel, and is partly his imagination, and partly some kind of "message" from the unknown. The Lord of the Flies basically confirms to Simon that the Beast really is "inside" everyone, but says that everyone would rather have fun than worry about anything else. The threat of being killed clearly foreshadows the ending of Simon's life.