Lord of the Flies - Entmoot Book Club Discussion

[azalea]

So we have Ralph, not believing there is anything to be afraid of, and who is growing into a thoughtful adolescent. We have the liitluns, who are very afraid, who are still just infant egos (ids, really). We have Jack (representing the hunters), who contends that the beast can be killed, can be forced into submission, that it shouldn't be feared, but are ending up turning into the very thing they're afraid of, but don't know it (as we'll see -- and they are giving over to their ids, instead of developing into an ego, as Ralph is). I love: Ralph-- "what would a beast eat?" Piggy -- "Pig." He knows (but this is not what he means in the immediate sense of what he's saying) that the "beast" (the boys giving themselves over to the id, which for Golding means man's true inner self -- the evil that exists at his core, without the filter of civilization) will "consume" rational thought (Piggy). He says there's no beast, but there is fear because we can "get frightened of people." Golding's way of letting us know that Piggy's almost "got it" -- the beast is that which exists inside of people.
We have Phil tell the group about his "beast sighting." He describes first a dream where he fights those "twisty things"(I'd also like to know what symbolism those hold -- perhaps "the unknown," "separation from society?" I bet that's it). Then he describes that he saw something outside after he awakens from the dream, and it turns out to be Simon, who we know from his explanation has been in his special place. (He apparently is the only one unafraid to go out of the huts at night, he fears no beast -- Simon = purity). At this point we have Jack getting everyone off topic by cracking that Simon was "taken short." Then we have Percival (our representation of the inner mood of all the group, the pure boy, the miserable lost baby longing for his mother) give a list of who he is, according to civilization, which now is nonexistant for him, and has no power there. There is no one to return him to "The Vicarage, Harcourt St. Anthony, etc." and his lamentation will not be quelled, "far beyond the reach of authority." All the littluns join him, and are only brought out of their lamentation by the off topic silliness they all so enjoy. Percival manages to say that the beast comes out of the sea. (Again, I'm sure there's symbolism here that I can't grasp).
The discussion starts to get absurd, with talk of giant squids. Simon then speaks the truth: "maybe it's only us." As he tries to make the group understand what he means, Jack AGAIN breaks the groups concentration with "toilet humor." The assembly is out of control again.
Jack then slaps the face of their little society by breaking the rules, then intentionally doing it and not stopping, he's doing it intentionally. He is showing his power and also showing he doesn't fear going against the rules, thereby diminishing not only the authority of the rules but also that of the leader. He also says to Ralph that he always "favor[s] Piggy" over him, which isn't true, but Jack so resents Piggy's influence that he has to comment about it.
(here I go on to post #3...)

[azalea]

So then we have Jack leading the hunters and whoever else off in a frenzy of hunting fever, until they are no longer individuals (to the eye and their own conciousness) but " a dense black mass" (beast), their chanting turning into "a wordless rhythm." I love this part: Ralph says (he's become very smart), "If I blow the conch, and they dont' come back; then we've had it...We'll be like animals." Piggy: "If you don't blow, we'll soon be animals anyway," as the group becomes an animal before their eyes.
When Ralph says he wants to give up being chief, Piggy freaks out, saying he couldn't hold out against Jack if Ralph wasn't there: "You'd hit him." Ralph: "You were having a nice fight with him just now." Piggy:"I had the conch. I had a right to speak." Amazing writing -- Piggy is able to hold his own when there is order, but once that goes, he is helpless. Order gives him his power. "He can't hurt you: but if you stand out of the way he'd hurt the next thing. And that's me." (ie, "I'm right behind you, pal, but if you aren't up there, I'm a goner" = if civilization falls, then all reason will fall in the face of savagry. Civilization/ government is the bridge between the common masses and reason/ enlightenment, and thus must also be the buttress holding it up.)
The three end the chapter by lamenting the lack of adult influence, and Ralph wishes for a sign from the adult world so they'd have a clue as to the answer to their dilemma, and then we hear an echo of their more grown up wailing lament -- Percival, taking up his own wailing lament again. They are as he is, just on a different developmental level.
I'm done. (Can you tell I love this book? )

[jerseydevil]

Azalea - this is a great chapter. Ralph is growing and seeing things. In the beginning he was a child - now he is growing and seeing that thigns need to be done.

I think the moving the lock of hair out of his eyes - represents clarity of the situation. Before he couldn't see - now he can.

Jack and his crew have become the beast - as I think is demonstrated by the whimpering of Percival at the feet of Ralph, Piggy and Simon.

By the way - do you know if their names have any hidden meanings? I was thinking that Percival might - because he was the knight in King Arthur's court who defended Guenevere - while he was still a squire. He also was the one who found the secret of the Holy Grail. Just a thought anyway.

As for the the blowing of the conch - Ralph is afraid that they have lost all reason. All sense of civilization. He's afraid they won't come if he blows the conch - and if they don't they will never respect it again. Piggy sees it that if they don't make a stand - if they don't call order - all is lost anyway.

Piggy needs Ralph and Ralph needs Piggy. Ralph is the strength and the voice - and Piggy is the brains.

It's great how the the reactions of Piggy and Ralph witnessing the breakdown of society is described. Even though the book isn't overly detailed - one can really feel the mood, what they must be feeling and what must be going on in their head. One can almost see the thoughts turning in Ralphs mind without them even being stated in the book.

[azalea]

Originally posted by jerseydevil
Azalea - this is a great chapter. Ralph is growing and seeing things. In the beginning he was a child - now he is growing and seeing that thigns need to be done.



By the way - do you know if their names have any hidden meanings? I was thinking that Percival might - because he was the knight in King Arthur's court who defended Guenevere - while he was still a squire. He also was the one who found the secret of the Holy Grail. Just a thought anyway.

I don't know, but I bet you're right. Obviously Piggy's name wasn't an accident, and Percival is unusual enough -- I didn't think about the connection to the knight. I'll have to see if my library has some commentary on the book when I go this week, that can perhaps shed some insight on this.

It's great how the the reactions of Piggy and Ralph witnessing the breakdown of society is described. Even though the book isn't overly detailed - one can really feel the mood, what they must be feeling and what must be going on in their head. One can almost see the thoughts turning in Ralphs mind without them even being stated in the book.

I so agree -- this is why the book is considered to be so well written -- it contains so much in such a concise text, and so much that is unsaid can still be seen by the reader, making it all the more effective. People who have the desire to write fiction should definately look at this book as an example of how to write an interesting and compelling book.

[Jonathan]

Phew, I've had some work to do but finally I could sit back and relax and read chapters 4 and 5.

I liked how they during the meeting started discussing the beast again. About how it was made clear that the 'beast' which Phil had seen actually was Simon, and that they still believe there's something evil out there, may it be ghosts or something as illogical as squids. It's funny how Maurice tries to present facts of unknown and they come to the conclusion that sea monsters might be after them. All this might be an effect of that the meeting is held at this late hour. It gets the kids' imagination going.

Originally posted by jerseydevil
By the way - do you know if their names have any hidden meanings? I was thinking that Percival might - because he was the knight in King Arthur's court who defended Guenevere - while he was still a squire. He also was the one who found the secret of the Holy Grail. Just a thought anyway.

Yeah, I thought of Percival's name too and if Golding refers to the Holy Grail in some way.

Oh Azaela, just want you to know that I love reading all the great stuff that you bring up

[azalea]

Thanks, Jonathan. My posts on each chapter seem to be longer than the chapters themselves almost, but I do enjoy it.

[Ruinel]

I've read the book and also seen the movie (1989, I didn't even know there was a black and white movie of LotFlies).

Sorry I have no time to participate in the book reading. I'm working from 7:30am to 3:30pm, 5 days a week, then 3 nights a week I go to class from 5:30pm to 9:30pm. I spend the weekend and Tuesday night doing laundry, homework and trying to get in a little Mooting. As you can see, I'm posting from work. (Bad she-Elf!)

However, I'd like to say that I am enjoying reading your posts. It refreshes my memory of reading the book and gives me new insite. Thanks for making this thread, JD. And thanks to the rest for posting on the chapters.

[Jonathan]

Lord of the Flies
Chapter Six: Beast from Air


I think we are ready to move on to the next chapter, aren't we? I won't have time to read it until Friday or so but please post your comments about the chapter and I will catch up later

[azalea]

Yes, I'm ready. I've actually read ch. 7, too (I couldn't wait ). But I have a cold and don't feel like doing my post tonight, so I'll wait and do it tomorrow (as usual I have plenty to say ). In fact, today I went to the library and checked out three Lord of the Flies commentary books (one is a Cliffs notes, the other two are collections of excerpts from essays about it) and have read a lot of them. They gave me more to say about some of the previous chapters, so I'll include that in my post tomorrow if it's okay. But I didn't cheat, I have only read the Cliffs Notes from the chapters I've already read. I didn't want it to cloud my own perception of the events in the upcoming chapters.

You guys ought to rent the old movie sometime, it's apparently better in terms of the portrayal of the symbolism of the book (at least that's what my Video Movie Guides say ). I'm going to check it out when we finish (or maybe both so I can do a comparison) -- maybe we could tack some discussion about it onto the end of the book discussion here (I think JD mentioned that, too).

[azalea]

I'm still sick and feeling woozy, but I'll do my best...

In ch. 6, the ironic "sign from the world of grown-ups" comes to the island. It is a dead man who floats down from the sky in a parachute, who we are told was killed in an air battle some miles away. The parachute gets stuck in a tree, so whenever the wind blows, it causes the man's torso to "sit up." Sam and Eric come up to tend the fire and see it from that distance, and think it is the "beastie," and go back to tell everyone. The irony here is that the sign they asked for ends up being a kind of statement: "we grown-ups are doing no better than you kids. We're acting savagely towards each other, too." And also a little of: "This is what you have to look forward to if you do escape the island -- a different kind of horror." It also is symbolic, which becomes more apparent later (the fact that the "beastie" is indeed "man himself.")
An assembly is called at the crack of dawn so that the twins can tell their story, which of course is exaggerated and makes the beast sound horrific. Ralph, Jack, and all the bigguns go to hunt it, leaving Piggy with the littluns. An important thing happens during the assembly, though. Piggy is speaking, Jack interrupts, and Piggy says "I have the conch." Then Jack says "We don't need the conch anymore," reasoning that the all know who is supposed to talk when, who has what to say, and who should be listened to. Ralph tells him to sit down, but he doesn't. Ralph takes command again by bringing them back to the topic at hand, which is going to hunt the beast. This little episode marks another turning point in the growing anarchical nature of the group. But it also says something about Jack -- his brand of leadership is dictatorial rather than democratic. It's much more efficient to keep the non-leaders shut up, and just tell them what to do.
So they go off to hunt it, and we get a glimpse of Simon's thoughts. He doesn't believe the beast is anything but "a human at once heroic and sick." He sees the duality of man's nature: the two sides represented in part by Ralph and Jack. Man has his good qualities, but cannot separate them from the "illness" within him: his own inner self.

(continued)

[azalea]

They're headed for the far part of the island where they think the beast might live. This part is separated from the rest of the island by a narrow land bridge. Ralph shows his leadership, heroism and courage by going across first. Jack comes after him and starts talking about all the "possibilities" the place has, and he and the other boys start fooling around, and throw a boulder into the water below. Ralph, who refuted the statement about the place having possibilities, comes back around to his thoughts about the necessity of keeping the fire going, that hunting the beast is unimportant compared to that. The boys want to stay and make a fort, but Ralph pulls rank and they all grudgingly head for the mountain.

I'd like to mention some things I read in the commentaries I picked up about that chapters we've read so far:

1. Golding includes an ongoing motif in the book regarding the very fine line between what appears to be and what is. This is illustrated by the periodical references to the mirages they all see and the "snake things" that scare them but are nothing but smoke from the plane crash or the vines in the trees, as well as other small events, such as the way Ralph in ch. 1 hears what sounds like the squacking of a bird, but turns out to be Piggy calling to him. This parallels what we see in the boys: they appear to be innocent young school boys, but as the book goes on, we see them differently.

The shell, which was at first shiny and pink has become dull and faded, signifying the erosion of order in the group.

Under Ralph's leadership we see the weaknesses of democracy, as I believe we discussed before.

What defines human society is, according to Golding, A common need (in this case, rescue), a common fear (beast, snakes), and a common desire (the conch, power).
He also shows the boys as a product of British society, and they behave as Britain has -- conquering (the island in this case), exertion of their will over the natural (fire) as well as other people (littluns here, indiginous peoples in the case of Britain), and calls into question the way society prepares it's children for survival (the boys know what they're "supposed" to do -- assemblies and such, but haven't been taught well enough how to work together, etc.).

2. Simon is the exception. He of all of them has the ability to see things as they really are. The others fear nature, as evidenced by their uneasy feelings, etc., but he appreciates its true beauty.
The snake things the boys think they see could be seen to represent the "first sin" (Snake causes first sin in Eden -- remember the "Eden" parallel I mentioned in the first ch.?), which in this case is the sin of irresponsibility (the conflagration) which leads to the first death (the boy with the mark, as the Fall in the Bible led to the first death -- Abel).

Here is an interesting literary convention he uses: the littluns, who have no distinct personalities of their own, and the island itself are "neutral characters." They have no bearing on their own, but serve to highlight and reveal the personalities of the main characters (by way of their actions toward the littluns and the island). Example: the boys represent society at large when their first action toward the island is to burn it -- as man inevitably destroys the natural places of the world as he establishes himself there. We kind of talked about this before, but the commentaries said it in a detailed way, and mentioned about the use of neutral characters to establish the personalities of the main ones.

(continued)

[azalea]

3. We are to see Jack and Ralph representing two sides of man: Ralph = Man the Builder, Jack = Man the Destroyer. Man can go either way, but sometimes the line is so blurred that it is ambiguous as to which is which (Side note: this is something we can see in local gov. There is always a battle between "controlled growth" and building so much so quickly that an area becomes "built out," which means that every square foot of the county is covered with either a business or a house or a road or a parking lot, or even a ballpark -- there is no natural space left, unless there is a designated "nature park," but isn't it sad that man contains nature in a fenced off park, while establishing himself everywhere else in the name of "economic development?" It makes me sick to think about it, it is happening just like that where I live, but I won't go on because it would go too far off topic!)
It is also pointed out that when Simon is helping Ralph build the huts, it parallels Jesus the carpenter, another hint of him as a "Christ-like figure."

It also discusses in more detail how the little society demonstrates the problems and inefficiency in democracy: It allows for people to have a voice, and yet the people are uncontrollable, and thus each new voice is followed blindly. How popular acclaim chooses the leadership: Ralph is the irrational choice for leader over Jack or Piggy, but because he's the one that first took action to organize them (and by this they are pacified -- they no longer need to think because they have someone to think for them -- the masses need caring for), they choose him. But then they, like adults, are swayed by the slightest provokation. Lastly, the People can overrule their leaders, and this is a weakness because it allows popular conceptions to win out, possibly defeating a truly productive idea in favor of a more harmful alternative. The alternative (Jack) is a dictatorship -- the people are told what to do -- it is efficient, but at what price?

4. Man's foolish ignorance of nature's glories: the boys are out of harmony with their surroundings (hence the narrative about their mood in the afternoon on the island, etc.).
The commentary mentions how Golding makes the leap from the boy exerting his will over the crabs on the beach to Man deploying an atomic bomb -- that it is inborn that he tries to control others. Man desires power -- he seeks to impose his will, exert his effect on the natural order, and to destroy life, and he's saying that it's not only Man with a capital M, it is in EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US. It is inescapable. How bleak.

The discussion turns to Jack putting on the face paint: the idea of "I didn't do it, my other self did." There is also heathen symbolism here: the wiping of the blood of the first kill on the forehead, the pig is a sacrifice, the reinactment of the kill before eating it is like a religious rite. It also highlights the emotional ties brought about by this shared ritual -- hunting and getting the first kill together makes a common bond that unites the hunters, making it easy for them to follow Jack later -- they have shared something with him that they haven't shared with Ralph.
They note how Ralph handles Jack smoothly, showing instinctive leadership, whereas Piggy lacks that finesse, resulting in violence between him and Jack.

I think I'll stop there, and include more with my next post. I think this is enough for everyone to digest and comment on for now!

The books I am getting all this info from are:
1. The Greenhaven Press Literary Companion to British Literature: Lord of the Flies.
2. William Golding's Lord of the Flies Bloom's Notes.
3. Cliff's Notes on William Golding's Lord of the Flies

As I mentioned, I am only reading the commentary on each chapter AFTER I've read and commented here, so I can speak first from my own impressions.

[azalea]

Continuing with my extra stuff (feel free to jump in any time guys! ):

5. Ralph is UNABLE to be the carefree youth he was because he now feels his responsibility for the welfare of others by virtue of his ability for speculative thought; he realizes rational procedure is essential to lead the masses against their instincts. It shows how his new maturity is shown by his understanding the wearisomeness of this life. His desire for civilized society is shown by his attitude toward the physical details: repulsed by filth, a desire for sanitation, unhappiness at his own unkemptness and the fact that the others don't care about theirs.
Jack and Piggy vying for the conch is futher evidence of the disintegration of order.
Their differing approaches to the group's fear of the beast speaks to their characterization and what they represent:
Ralph (democracy) -- let's vote it away ("who believes there's a beast, raise your hand")
Jack (dictator) -- "I command you to live with your fear and carry on."
Piggy (intelligence) -- "Science renders the beast an impossibility, thus, there is no need to fear."
Simon (morality) "there is a beast, and we are it." -- the defects of society are a result of the defects in human nature.
Jack's method leads to self destruction, whereas Ralph's imitation of the "grown-up method" is of no use.

[EDIT: Oops, I accidentally posted the commentary stuff about ch. 6, but I wanted to wait until after you guys had posted your impressions, so I've edited it out, and will repost it then.]


Okay, that's all from the commentaries up to this point. I hope it wasn't too much (or too redundant -- there was a lot we had already mentioned, but they expanded on it), but I found it so fascinating, and wanted to share it. Sorry it seems choppy, but I was writing from notes I took while reading. What do you guys think?

[jerseydevil]

Originally posted by azalea
[EDIT: Oops, I accidentally posted the commentary stuff about ch. 6, but I wanted to wait until after you guys had posted your impressions, so I've edited it out, and will repost it then.]


Okay, that's all from the commentaries up to this point. I hope it wasn't too much (or too redundant -- there was a lot we had already mentioned, but they expanded on it), but I found it so fascinating, and wanted to share it. Sorry it seems choppy, but I was writing from notes I took while reading. What do you guys think?

Sorry it's taking me so long. I'm going to try to post tonight. Hopefully Jonathan will be on this week - his apartment is being worked on and he wasn't sure if he was going to have computer access or not.

[Brill]

Originally posted by cassiopeia
To my ear, Americans would pronounce asthma a little like ass-mar.

By the way - I think it is more likely that Piggy has a lisp .

(previously posted)
Someone mentioned the way Piggy speaks, and how he may be American pronouncing it ass-mar. Then someone else mentioned he might have had a lisp. People who lisp cannot frame to pronounce the letter S, so it wouldn't be a lisp.

BUT--I think a Hare lip is a giant possibility, for those unfamiliar with hare lips, people are born without a part of their lip so the doctor sews it up, creating a scar the resembles (in an astronomical way) and rabbits mouth. Now since there is less frontal skin on the face close to the mouth, the skin is pulled tight, making it difficult to pronounce words producing several different kinds of speech impediments. So, that's my opinion, which I know counts for very little being that I am not in on the discussions. If any of my HARE LIP information is slightly off, I apologize it has been a long time since research papers.

Happy reading.

[azalea]

Even just a line or two about this ch. would be sufficient.

[Jonathan]

Originally posted by azalea
Even just a line or two about this ch. would be sufficient.

Sorry azaela, I was going to post about it yesterday but I was too tired and postponed it until today

Jack is quick to make use of this 'Beast from Air'. He needs something concrete so that his hunters can get an outlet for their anger and bloodlust so that he himself can assume authority over them.
This reminds me of how dictators in the past have worked up their people by pointing out a common enemy for them. In Germany, Hitler's 'beast' was the jews and in Zimbabwe, Mugabe points out the white farmers as a common enemy.

A gap is opening up between Ralph and the other boys. Ralph advocates the importance of keeping the fire alive (though he seems to start forgetting why the fire is important - "A strange thing happened in his head" p. 133). However the other kids find guarding the fire quite dull and they are more eager to build forts and hunt. The boys start giving priority to their own self-interests instead of trying to be rescued.
Ralph says: "We want smoke. And you go wasting your time. You roll rocks." And furiously he tries to make the other boys go back to their shelters and continue signaling in case there is a ship nearby.


Nice extra-stuff you posted, azaela

[azalea]

Thanks. I thought it might be helpful/ interesting (although I didn't want it to supplant our impressions).

[jerseydevil]

Very good Azalea. You brought out a lot of good things to think about. Sorry I'm so late in posting.

As you said - you can clearly see the disintigration of democracy and the group. As I said before too - I think Piggy's glasses being broken have a meaning. Again it is brought up when they suggest that Piggy look at the littluns - that how can he watch them with one eye. It's like the group is half blinded now. The group can't focus on a single task - they keep just doing what they want to do.

By the way Azalea, what you said about democracy and people's reliance on others or the way people vote is very true. Ralph was picked for several reasons - I think he had good charisma - and he had organized the meeting. Piggy on the other hand had shown Ralph and told him to call the meeting to begin with. People do not necessarily vote for the most capable person - but the most likeable.

Jack i don't think is a likeable character - but he is commanding. He says how he feels and will shout down anyone - except for Ralph - who stands in his way. People tend to gravitate toward strength like that - even if it is leading down the wrong path solely because they sound like they know what they are talking about. They will follow a person like this without thinkng.

I wonder if this outcropping has some hidden meaning. I would think it has to - because it seems too strange that after having been on the island so long - they would not have explored this outcropping.

By the way - there is one part that I was confused about...

Yes, they wanted to be rescued, there was no doubt about that; and with a violent swing to Ralph's side, the crisis passed. Piggy let out his breath with a gasp, reached for it again and failed. He lay against the log , his mouth gaping, blue shadows creeping round his lips. Nobody minded him.

What do you think the violent swing to Ralph's side was? It seems as if Piggy was reaching for the conch - but in the process was having an asthma attack, thus showing his weekness to let his feelings known or command the group at all.

It then says that they left "Piggy propped up on the platform" when they go to check out the unexplored part of the island - almost as if he was a rag doll and completely useless.

[azalea]

Originally posted by jerseydevil
Very good Azalea. You brought out a lot of good things to think about. Sorry I'm so late in posting.

As you said - you can clearly see the disintigration of democracy and the group. As I said before too - I think Piggy's glasses being broken have a meaning. Again it is brought up when they suggest that Piggy look at the littluns - that how can he watch them with one eye. It's like the group is half blinded now. The group can't focus on a single task - they keep just doing what they want to do.

By the way Azalea, what you said about democracy and people's reliance on others or the way people vote is very true. Ralph was picked for several reasons - I think he had good charisma - and he had organized the meeting. Piggy on the other hand had shown Ralph and told him to call the meeting to begin with. People do not necessarily vote for the most capable person - but the most likeable.

Jack i don't think is a likeable character - but he is commanding. He says how he feels and will shout down anyone - except for Ralph - who stands in his way. People tend to gravitate toward strength like that - even if it is leading down the wrong path solely because they sound like they know what they are talking about. They will follow a person like this without thinkng.

These are some good points -- esp. voting not for the most capable but for the most likeable (we see that in current politics all the time!), and also about people gravitating toward strength. It's like kids who tend to either position themselves so as to get on a bully's good side, and thus avoid being bullied, or those who end up being bullied because they weren't accepted by the bully (in this case as in others, there are kids who are strong enough in personality to not join the bully, but also will stand up to him, which is how we all hope to be).

I wonder if this outcropping has some hidden meaning. I would think it has to - because it seems too strange that after having been on the island so long - they would not have explored this outcropping.

I'm not sure what you mean by this. What are you refering to?

By the way - there is one part that I was confused about...


What do you think the violent swing to Ralph's side was? It seems as if Piggy was reaching for the conch - but in the process was having an asthma attack, thus showing his weekness to let his feelings known or command the group at all.

It then says that they left "Piggy propped up on the platform" when they go to check out the unexplored part of the island - almost as if he was a rag doll and completely useless.

I'll try to explain in my long-winded and not so eloquent way what I think of this passage:
It's meant to be slightly cryptic, and of course if you know what happens later it makes some sense. Jack is challenging Ralph's authority by not following the rules of the assembly (in regard to the conch) or following Ralph's direction to sit down. When he remained standing, it was a direct challenge of Ralph as the leader, as is his statement that tracking the beast is a hunter's job (as in "I should be in charge of this crisis, not you"). The group is about to agree with Jack, which would further undercut Ralph's authority, and basically render him useless (as we saw almost happened earlier -- if he had blown the conch and they didn't come. It's the same kind of situation, but in a more direct and organized way). When Ralph then brings the up the point that rescue should take precidence over everything else, of course the boys want to be rescued, so their "sympathies" turn back to him (this is what is meant by a "violent swing" back to his favor -- the boys' desire for rescue is so strong that by mentioning it, he re-cements their support for him in such a drastic way that it's almost physically perceptable), to the great relief of Piggy, who has already said that if Jack manages to get Ralph out of the way, he's done for. He was able to see what was happening so clearly that it nearly induced an asthma attack. He had been the one holding the conch, and I think he might also have been afraid that he was going to have to fight Jack for it (unless Jack gained complete control over the situation, in which case the conch wouldn't matter, and that was Piggy's worst fear), so he slips it back over to Ralph (not only to rid himself of the floor so he wouldn't be a target for Jack, but also because his belief in the conch system is so strong, he wants Ralph to have it, since Ralph is speaking). Piggy is recovering from his near-attack, and yes, there is no pretense of Piggy having a use now (in terms of being able to lead or protect those left behind).