LOTF Chapter 1 Response

          William Golding has a particular way of describing things. Lord of the Flies is the first piece of his work I have read, and only thirty pages into it, I can already see the island and its characters vividly.
          I spent of a lot of my time reading the first chapter focusing on the characters, especially Ralph, Piggy, and Jack. Ralph seems to be a pretty typical twelve-year-old boy. He is quick to tease and easily excited by the prospect of adventure. Though he is rough with Piggy, I don't think he really intends to be. When he spills that dreaded nickname, I'm reasonably certain it was an honest slip up and he didn't mean to cause so much humiliation to his fellow plane-crash victim. I was quickly endeared to Piggy's bustling, friendly nature and quiet strength, as well as his rotund shape and panting face. There is a certain innocence to him the pulls on the heart-strings when he is laughed at and his eagerness is taken advantage of. As a fan of Gilligan's Island, I couldn't help but be reminded of poor, bumbling Gilligan's constant efforts to help, and repeated failures and mishaps. Lastly, I was intrigued by Jack, or Merridew, as he is first introduced. When he stepped on the scene, he immediately struck me as being much older than the rest, but maybe it's just that he has been leading his peers around for some time. Perhaps I'm wrong, but it wouldn't surprise me is he and Ralph become rivals as the book progresses. Their personalities are too similar and neither adds up to make a good follower.
          Another thing I noted in the first chapter was the setting. I did my best to make a mental map of the island, and from the description of the view from the mountain top, I think I did pretty well. My only question was  about the size of the mountain. Clearly the island is quite large, but just how high is this mountain? If a group of three sixth grade boys could climb it in one afternoon, it can't truly be a mountain can it? There was a lot of talk of piles of pink granite mixed in with descriptions of cliffs and gradual slopes. I think I was focusing more on the boys' journey than the mountain itself, and have gotten myself more confused than I need to be. Can anyone help me?
          Lastly, I need to express a hope that I have for one of the characters. I dearly wish for Piggy to find his place. I do not normally have a soft spot for characters like him, but something about the way he is presented is so perfectly innocent and humble and genuinely good that I can't help but want the best for him. Hopefully, all will turn out well.