The Blue Lagoon · Chapter
Story of the Pig and the Billy-Goat explained
Mr.
What happens
Mr. Button tells stories to amuse Dick and Emmeline while they drift at sea, including a tale of a pig and a billy-goat that fight and fall off a cliff. The children share their own thoughts about babies, angels, and parrots, and then they all rest under a makeshift awning.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This is the story's dramatic climax because it marks the emotional and psychological peak where the protagonis…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Innocence and Loss
The children's naive questions about babies and angels contrast with the harsh reality of their situation adrift at sea.
- Isolation and Survival
The group is isolated on the boat, with Mr. Button using stories and makeshift shelter to cope with their predicament.
Characters to notice
- Mr. Button
Tells stories to entertain the children, including the tale of the pig and the billy-goat.
- Dick
Fishes with a bent pin and twine, and shares his thoughts about babies and cabbage patches.
- Emmeline
Dreamily discusses babies, angels, and parrots, and moves into the shadow of the sail.
- Paddy Button
Tells the story of the pig and the billy-goat, and later makes a tent with the sail for the children.
Key passages
“Hung on to his fist like a bulldog, and him bawlin' 'Murther!'”
The baby bit the doctor's hand and held on tightly while the doctor screamed for help.
Mr. Button's story about Hannah's unusual birth.
“I wish I had a baby, and I wouldn't send it back to the cabbage patch.”
Emmeline expresses a desire to have a baby of her own and would keep it, unlike the imaginary cabbage patch babies.
Emmeline's childish wish after hearing Dick's story about babies growing in cabbage patches.
“Away wid yiz! says the billy-goat. Away wid yourself! says he.”
The billy-goat told the pig to leave, and the pig told him to leave instead.
Part of Paddy's story about the confrontation between the pig and the billy-goat.
