There are several scenes throughout the novel where Ralph utilizes his survival skills. In Chapter 2, Jack suggests that they use Piggy's glasses to light the fire. Ralph then takes Piggy's glasses and focuses the sun's heat onto a small area of dry wood. Golding writes,
"Ralph moved the lenses back and forth, this way and that, till a glassy white image of the declining sun lay on a piece of rotten wood. Almost at once a thin trickle of smoke rose up and made him cough" (56).
Starting a fire is an important survival skill that Ralph has mastered.
Another scene throughout the novel that depicts Ralph utilizing his survival skills takes place in Chapter 3. The ability to build a shelter is an important aspect of survival. Ralph, Simon, and the other boys successfully build one shelter together. During an assembly meeting in Chapter 5, Ralph says,
"We all built the first one, four of us the second one, and me 'n Simon build the last one over there" (Golding 112).
In the last chapter of the novel, Ralph is being hunted by the savages. Ralph displays his survival skills by hiding in a thicket close to Castle Rock to avoid detection. Ralph tells Samneric that he thinks Jack will never expect him to hide so close to their base. Golding writes,
"When Ralph had wriggled into this he felt secure, and clever. He sat down carefully among the smashed stems and waited for the hunt to pass" (276).
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