Ho Yay / Lord of the Flies

Since Lord of the Flies focuses on a group of boys stranded on an island, there's bound to be some Ho Yay to go around. Albeit, most of it seems to be focused on two specific boys.

Jack and Ralph

• Jack and Ralph undoubtedly have the most Ho Yay compared to anyone else, considering their relationship is arguably the most important one in the book. Even though they become enemies later, the Ho Yay never disappears. It just gets more intense.
• Jack laid his on the trunk by Ralph. His grey shorts were sticking to him with sweat. Ralph glanced at them admiringly.
• Ralph and Jack looked at each other while society paused about them. The shameful knowledge grew in them and they did not know how to begin confession. Ralph spoke first, crimson in the face. "Will you?" He cleared his throat and went on. "Will you light the fire?" Now the absurd situation was open, Jack blushed too. He began to mutter vaguely. "You rub two sticks. You rub—" He glanced at Ralph, who blurted out the last confession of incompetence.
• Jack and Ralph smiled at each other with shy liking.
• They looked at each other, baffled, in love and hate. All the warm salt water of the bathing pool and the shouting and splashing and laughing were only just sufficient to bring them together again.
• Ralph sighed, sensing the rising antagonism, understanding that this was how Jack felt as soon as he ceased to lead..."I don't mind going," Jack said hotly. "I'll go when we get there. Won't you? Would you rather go back to the shelters and tell Piggy?" Now it was Ralph's turn to flush but he spoke despairingly, out of the new understanding that Piggy had given him. "Why do you hate me?" The boys stirred uneasily, as though something indecent had been said. The silence lengthened.
• When Ralph spoke again his voice was low, and seemed breathless. "What have I done? I liked him—and I wanted us to be rescued". Again the stars spilled about the sky. Eric shook his head, earnestly. "Listen Ralph. Never mind what's sense. That's gone—" "Never mind about the Chief—" "—you got to go for your own good."
• Then there was that indefinable connection between himself and Jack; who therefore would never let him alone; never.
• Ralph found himself alone on a limb with Jack and they grinned at each other, sharing this burden. [...] "Almost too heavy." Jack grinned back. "Not for the two of us."
• Many couldn't help but notice how they act like a couple during the first part of the book; Ralph always has expectations from Jack and is particularly upset with the latter when he doesn't respect his wish of keeping the fire lit, despite that it isn't only Jack's fault, but other kids' too.
  • A lot of their dialogue is almost identical to lovers' quarrels. Jack hates when Ralph favors Piggy over him and usually acts like a paranoid boyfriend who thinks that his partner is going to cheat on him.
  Ralph: Piggy's got the conch.
  Jack: That's right—favor Piggy as you always do—
  Ralph: Jack!
  Jack: (in bitter mimicry) Jack! Jack!
• Ralph: And I work all day with nothing but Simon and you come back and don't even notice the huts!
  Jack: I was working too—
  Ralph: But you liked it! You want to hunt! While I—
  They faced each other on the bright beach, astonished at the rub of feeling.
  • The 63' movie scene made after this moment is even more explicit. Then again, the 63' movie is filled with Ho Yay moments between the two.
• Jack: Do a bit for you. Before I have a bathe.
  Ralph: Don't bother.
• Jack: What about my hunters?
  Ralph: Boys armed with sticks.
  Jack got to his feet. His face was red as he marched away. Piggy put on his one glass and looked at Ralph.
  Piggy: Now you done it. You been rude about his hunters.
  Ralph: Oh shut up!
• Jack: Let's be moving. We're wasting time.
  Ralph: No we're not. What about the littluns?
  Jack: Sucks to the littluns!
  Ralph: Someone's got to look after them.
  Jack: Nobody has so far.
  Ralph: There was no need! Now there is. Piggy'll look after them.
  Jack: That's right. Keep Piggy out of danger.
  Ralph: Have some sense. What can Piggy do with only one eye?
  The rest of the boys were looking from Jack to Ralph, curiously.
• Piggy was indignant.
  Piggy: I been talking, Ralph, and you just stood there like—
  Softly, looking at Piggy and not seeing him, Ralph spoke to himself.
  Ralph: He'll come back. When the sun goes down he'll come.
• The fact that Ralph is shocked at the news Jack might hate him and, when Piggy explains him the reason is because Jack is not chief, Ralph's exclamation of Jack's name suggests that Ralph has very deep admiration for Jack to the point where he shows that he believes being Jack is above being chief and that Jack should have no reason to hate him for that. Or, alternately, that he believes it to be impossible for Jack to hate him, due to their close friendship. In either case, it implies a deep devotion on Ralph's side for Jack.
  Piggy: I tell you what. He hates you too, Ralph
  Ralph: Me? Why me?
  Piggy: I dunno. You got him over the fire; an' you're chief an' he isn't.
  Ralph: But he's, he's, Jack Merridew!

• Hell, even analyses from various books mention this dynamic between the three: Meet Jack.[...]he loves shedding blood. Ralph he rather likes, and the liking is mutual. Piggy he despises and insults.
• Although we recognize that this is a little ridiculous, if you overthink and reinterpret everything, Jack is kind of a Crazy Jealous Guy (and eventually Yandere) for Ralph. Earlier on he's already possessive of Ralph and hates when he pays attention to the other boys. He's clearly furiously jealous whenever this happens: he insults Simon (who greatly admires Ralph) behind his back and is absolutely ferocious towards Piggy (who likes Ralph and sticks by his side at all times). After establishing that he likes Ralph and despises Piggy, Jack becomes obsessed with hunting pigs. Jack grows to hate Ralph because he is more logical and gets in the way of Jack's violent fixation with power, but even as his insanity grows, it's evident he will let Ralph live if he joins his tribe. In other words, Ralph can either submit to him or DIE.
• What takes the cake is that the director of the 1963 film himself states that Jack and Ralph had the relationship of a married couple.
  Peter Brook: I remember that, in the longer version, as in the book, Jack and Ralph had an almost husband and wife relationship, I mean, they were great friends—I don't mean that in a sexual sense—they were great friends, great comrades, they shared concerns, and in the film most of that is missing. Those ten minutes or so that were removed, I think it diminished that aspect of their relationship almost to the point of disappearing. I don't think it weakens the story, I think it changes the story, somewhat, and I think that it leaves room for the audience to imply what they will about the relationship between Jack and Ralph, rather than giving the specific intention of the original story.

Others

• After Ralph and Piggy first meet on the island, they strip naked and Ralph goes Skinny Dipping in a pond, though Piggy doesn't join him because he can't swim with his asthma.
• There's some Ho Yay involving Simon and Ralph.
  • At one point, Simon walks into a tree after Ralph smiles at him.
  • At the beginning of the book, Ralph, Jack, and Simon go out alone to look around the island. While they're having a good time and laughing, Simon apparently "strokes Ralph's arm shyly."
• There's also some Ho Yay in Jack and Roger's relationship. Kind of inevitable, as they're the most savage boys on the island and Roger is Jack's right-hand man.
  • Although he apparently doesn't want to, there's a point earlier on in the book where Roger is unable to stop himself from smiling at Jack. It's the only time Roger is ever noted to smile.
  • When Jack decides he's not going to follow Ralph anymore, Roger is the first person to leave with him and follows him immediately the moment he makes the decision.
  • After Jack and his hunters separate from Ralph's group, Roger appreciates Jack's violent and dangerous ways, specifically in the form of admiring the boulder trap Jack set up. He also indirectly claims Jack to be a better leader than Ralph while doing this:
  Roger: He's a proper chief, isn't he?
  • After Jack and Roger leave Ralph's group in the '63 movie, there's a scene where they are hunting together. The two grin and look into each other's eyes for a very long time before Roger affectionately flicks Jack's shoulder and they leave.
  • Also in the '63 movie: Roger is the one who declares, "Right up the ass!" after he kills a pig by shoving a stick up its backside, unlike in the book, where it's somebody else. Ho Yay is involved because in the movie Roger says this after a scene change with his hand on Jack's shoulder, making us think for a moment that he's talking about something else...
• Then there is the hunting scene where a choir boy named Robert pretends to be the pig while the other boys pretend to hunt him. Jack barely lets anyone approach as he literally goes on top of Robert, pulls at his hair, and spanks him, the scene reminding us of something else entirely. It ends with Jack rolling off of him and saying, "That was a good game," while Robert retorts with, "Oh, my bum."
  • The '63 movie doesn't include this scene, but it does include a similar one where Jack is punishing a boy from his tribe by spanking him with a stick.
• The suggestive language (especially regarding the conch and blowing thereof) doesn't help either.
  • And lines like "Do you have a ship in your pocket?"
  • Don't forget how they use the term "do you" to mean "kill you" (because we seriously doubt that the Lord of the Flies wanted to "do" Simon in the way the language may suggest).
  Samneric: The chief and Roger. They hate you, Ralph. They're going to do you.

---