Lord of the Flies

[hottcheer3]

Why were the British schoolboys on the flight that crashed?

[Quizmonster]

For their safety, they were being evacuated from England, which was involved in a nuclear war.

[Peter Pedant]

otherwise someone would have come to look for them slightly before they did.....

[Peter Pedant]

Oh, while we're on the subject ......

the boys find a dead pilot in a parachute half way up the mountain......

does that mean that the pilot of the crashing plane, sort of said, bye boys! and jumped out just as the plane was crashing ? I hve always wondered. I read it in 1966

[Quizmonster]

PP, if you read Chapter 6, you will see that the dead pilot - the 'Beastie' - is in fact a victim of a dog-fight, which none of the boys saw, that took place high above the island during the night. That is, he was involved in the war that the boys themselves were being evacuated from. He is not the pilot of the aircraft the boys arrived in.

[delboy3]

Plus they were public schoolboys and therefore sons of the wealthy who wanted to preserve their bloodlines, while presumably the working class kids were fried back home. Maybe the plane was chartered privately as during the crisis they were the only ones who could afford it?

[Peter Pedant]

er thank you QM, when I find my dogeared copy......