From the wreck of a downed airplane that cut a scar through the jungle, two figures emerge: Ralph, tall and handsome, with fair hair, and Piggy, short and fat with thick-rimmed glasses, who implores Ralph not to tell the others his nickname is Piggy. Ralph is delighted with the island, and the fact that there are no grownups near. Piggy’s stomach is upset, and he keeps trundling off into the bushes to use the bathroom. On the beach Ralph takes off his clothes and swims, completely relaxed, unafraid of their circumstances. Piggy can’t swim because of his asthma, but he sees a conch shell in the water. When Ralph retrieves it, Piggy tells him how to blow it. Ralph raises the conch, summoning the other boys from the plane crash. When all arrive, they decide to elect a leader, choosing Ralph, even though Piggy is smarter and Jack, leader of a boys’ choir, has more leadership skills. Ralph, Simon, and Jack decide to see if the island is actually an island; Piggy is told not to come. They climb to the top, passing trails made by animals, stopping once to push a giant boulder off the mountainside into the forest below.