13. (analysis of the circle game with Robert)

To me, this event presents a serious red flag to the little society the boys have going on.  In my mind, what happened here was the boys wielded the hatred and anger they have towards pigs on the island and unleashed it on Robert.  This is concerning to me because this shows that the passion for killing some characters, namely Jack, have in this story can and just might be translated into violence against their own.  It also shows that the boys are at the point where a game, however simple or seemingly harmless, can turn into an activity of violence and brutality.  The boys certainly have no problem isolating members from their society, as they did with Piggy so handily and nonchalantly, and did again with Robert in this instance.  If you put these circumstances in play with a situation where there is actual conflict, this could easily result in the death of one of the boys.  Keep in mind that Robert never even did anything, and that lead to Jack drawing his knife.  Imagine what could happen if it was someone who Jack thought deserved punishment.