What does the stone symbolize in this passage? "The stone, that token of preposterous time, bounced five yards to Henry's right and fell in the water."

In
s , a group of British school boys is stranded on a deserted island and must fend for
themselves. They live without adults or the structure of a civilized society to guide and curb
their actions. Initially, they devise rules and attempt to govern themselves in order to find
food, take care of the younger children, and maintain order. However, the boys ultimately break
into factions, with one group led by .

is a violent, sadistic character. He
uses the time in the wild of the island to break free of societys constraints and allow his
inherent sadistic impulses to take over. Essentially, he devolves into a savage beast who
ultimately kills one of the boys, , for the sheer pleasure of it. Roger is one of Ralph's
followers. In this earlier scene with Henry, however, Roger is exploring his violent side. He
still exercises some restraint. The passage reads

Roger
stooped, picked up a stone, aimed, and threw it at Henrythrew it to miss. The stone, that token
of preposterous time, bounced five yards to Henry's right and fell in the water.

The stone and reference to preposterous time can be read in
several ways. First, the boys have no tools and in some ways are thrown back to the more violent
Stone Age, when people used rocks to sharpen instruments for hunting and defense. However,
because Roger "threw it to miss," the stone also represents civilization, which is
quickly becoming preposterous time to Ralph and some of the other boys.

In
a way, the stone represents the duality of human nature, which includes a violent and a
cooperative side. While certain situations will cause one side to become dominant, the book also
shows that people like Roger are just looking for a reason to unleash their violent side, while
others try to adhere to the rules of civilization.