Upon the humid and dark mountain top, Simon fell unconscious. He lay in the mat of creepers. The light of the advancing evening was unearthly. The Lord of the flies hung on his stick like a black ball.
Simon turned away from the open space and crawled through the creepers till he was in the dusk of the forest. He pushed on, staggering sometimes with his weariness but never stopping. A buffet of wind made him stagger and he saw that he was out in the open on a rock under a brassy sky. He saw a humped thing suddenly sit up on the top and looked down at him. He hid his face and toiled on. The flies had found the figure too. The life like movement would scare them off for a moment so that they made a dark cloud around the head. Then as the blue material of the parachute collapsed the corpulent figure would bow forward sighing and the flies settle once more. Simon crawled forward and soon he understood. He saw how pitilessly, the layers of rubber and canvas held together the poor body that should be rotting away. Then the wind blew again and the figure lifted, bowed, and breathed foully at him. Simon knelt on all fours and was sick till his stomach was empty. He turned to the poor broken thing that sat stinking by his side. The beast was harmless and horrible; and the news must reach the others as soon as possible. He started on the mountain and his legs gave beneath him.
Here, Ralph and Piggy were bathing and playing in the lagoon. They found that all the other boys had moved towards Jack's camp to join the feast. So, they also decided to go after them and join the feast. Fire burned on a rock and fat dripped from the roasting ram meat into the visible flames. All the boys of the island except Piggy, Ralph, Simon and the two tending the ram, were grouped on the turf. They were laughing, singing, lying, squatting, or standing on the grass, holding food in their hands.
Question 1: Describe Simon's condition and surroundings when he falls unconscious on the mountain top?
Answer: Simon falls unconscious amidst humid darkness on the mountain top, lying among creepers with the unearthly light of the advancing evening illuminating the scene. The Lord of the Flies hangs on its stick like a black ball nearby.
Question 2: How does Simon react to the presence of the figure on the rock under the brassy sky?
Answer: Simon hides his face and continues onward despite the presence of the figure. He becomes sick after realizing the truth about the figure's identity.
Question 3: What realization does Simon come to about the figure on the rock?
Answer: Simon realizes that the figure is not a beast but a harmless yet horrible entity, held together by layers of rubber and canvas from a parachute.
Question 4: Why does Simon become sick while kneeling beside the figure?
Answer: Simon becomes sick when he comprehends the truth about the figure and the gruesome state of the poor body that should be decomposing. The foul breath of the figure also contributes to his sickness.
Question 5: What do Ralph and Piggy find when they reach the lagoon?
Answer: Ralph and Piggy find that all the other boys have moved towards Jack's camp to join the feast, leaving only Simon, Piggy, Ralph, and two others tending the roasting ram.
Question 6: How do the boys at Jack's camp spend their time, and who is noticeably absent from the group?
Answer: The boys at Jack's camp spend their time laughing, singing, lying, squatting, or standing on the grass, holding food in their hands. Notably absent from the group are Simon, Piggy, Ralph, and the two boys tending the ram.
