Chapter 1: The Shell on the Beach第 1 章：海灘上的貝殼

During a war, a plane carrying a group of British schoolboys is attacked and crashes on a tropical island. A fair-haired twelve-year-old named Ralph meets a short, heavy boy with thick glasses and asthma, who begs him not to tell anyone his old school nickname, Piggy. Ralph laughs at it. The two realize there seem to be no grown-ups anywhere. In the clear water of the lagoon they spot a large cream-colored shell, a conch. Piggy explains that it can be blown like a horn, and when Ralph finally makes it sound, boys appear from all over the island: small children of about six, the cheerful twins Sam and Eric, and a choir in black cloaks marching behind a tall, red-haired boy, Jack Merridew. The boys agree they need a chief. Jack expects to be chosen, but the group votes for Ralph, partly because he is the one holding the conch. To keep the peace, Ralph lets Jack stay in charge of the choir, who will become hunters. Ralph, Jack, and a quiet choirboy named Simon set off on an expedition. They push a huge rock off a cliff for fun, reach the mountaintop, and confirm that they are on an uninhabited island. On the way back they find a piglet caught in creepers. Jack raises his knife but cannot make himself strike, and the piglet escapes. Embarrassed, he swears he will not hesitate again.在一場戰爭中，一架載著一群英國學童的飛機遭到攻擊，墜落在一座熱帶島嶼上。十二歲、一頭金髮的雷夫遇到一個矮胖、戴著厚眼鏡又有氣喘的男孩。這個男孩拜託雷夫不要把他在學校的舊綽號「小豬」告訴別人，雷夫卻哈哈大笑。兩人發現島上似乎一個大人也沒有。他們在清澈的潟湖裡看到一個奶油色的大貝殼，也就是海螺。小豬說明海螺可以像號角一樣吹響；雷夫終於把它吹響之後，男孩們從島上各處出現：約六歲的小孩子、開朗的雙胞胎山姆和艾瑞克，還有一支穿著黑斗篷的唱詩班，排隊跟在高瘦紅髮的傑克·梅里度後面。男孩們都同意需要一個領袖。傑克以為自己會被選上，大家卻投票選了雷夫，部分原因是他手上拿著海螺。為了維持和氣，雷夫讓傑克繼續管理唱詩班，唱詩班將成為獵人隊。雷夫、傑克和安靜的唱詩班男孩賽門出發探險。他們為了好玩把一塊巨石推下懸崖，爬上山頂，確認這是一座無人島。回程時，他們發現一隻小野豬被藤蔓纏住。傑克舉起刀子，卻怎麼也下不了手，小野豬掙脫逃走了。傑克覺得很丟臉，發誓下次絕不再猶豫。

Golding uses a third-person narrator who can describe the island in rich detail and also look inside the boys' minds. The island is painted as a kind of paradise, with bright water, birds, and fruit. Small details, such as the boys laughing at Piggy and Jack's hesitation with the knife, quietly show how each character thinks before the story takes shape.高汀使用第三人稱敘述者，既能細膩描寫這座島，也能深入男孩們的內心。這座島被描寫得像天堂一樣，有明亮的海水、鳥和水果。一些小細節，例如男孩們嘲笑小豬，以及傑克拿著刀時的猶豫，在故事展開之前就悄悄呈現出每個角色的想法。