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A World Without Laws In Lord Of The Flies By William Golding

Decent Essays

What would the world look like if there was no laws? How would people change? How would the world change? In today’s society, laws are required to keep and maintain the order and functioning of people. In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, Golding creates a world without laws. Throughout the novel , Golding demonstrates that laws are necessary to keep humans from reverting to their primitive instincts. This is shown through the symbol of the conch, Ralph’s change after the conch is broken, and Jack refusing to accept the laws created by the group.

As the novel progresses the recurring symbol of law and order through the conch is more prominent. It is mentioned that “The fragile white conch still gleamed by the polished seat” (Golding. 117)The conch represents the law or ‘democracy’ the boys have created. The conch is the only thing that is keeping them from turning savages. It is their connection to society. Golding describes the conch as “fragile” meaning that the laws that were made were easily breakable. This is evident when Jack’s group stopped listening to Ralph’s order. Also how it was broken physically when Piggy died. Golding creates a visual in the reader’s mind, “The conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist” (200)The conch later gets destroyed and Piggy gets killed. When the conch gets destroyed, the law got destroyed with it. Golding uses a hyperbole when the conch “explodes into a thousand white fragments.” Golding’s

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