Roger

Roger is a member of Jack’s choir and is described as ‘a slight furtive boy whom no one knew, who kept to himself with an inner intensity of avoidance and secrecy’ (p18). Surprisingly, it is Roger who suggest the boys have a vote to decide upon the leader.

Roger and Maurice destroy the sandcastles that the ‘littluns’ have built on the beach and as he watches them play, his ‘unsociable remoteness’ turns into ‘something forbidding’ (p63). Then, Roger follows Henry as he wanders off on his own. As Henry is swimming, Roger begins secretly throwing stones, meaning them to miss, near to Henry in the water. He dares not throw them directly at Henry – ‘Roger’s arm was conditioned by a civilisation that knew nothing of him and was in ruins’ (p65)

Roger’s quiet menace continues throughout the novel. When challenged by Robert, who is guarding Jack’s camp, Roger says ‘you couldn’t stop me coming if I wanted’ (p178). He quickly joins Jack and the rest of the ‘savages’ when they are punishing Wilfred and volunteers to accompany Jack and Maurice when they invade Ralph’s camp.

As Ralph, Piggy, Sam and Eric approach Jack’s camp, Roger is on guard. He begins throwing stones at the twins and ‘a source of power began to pulse’ in his body (p194). Roger leans on the lever of the trap at the top of the cliff, allowing the rock to fall where Piggy and Ralph stand below…