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Analysis Of William Golding 's ' Lord Of The Flies ' Essay

Decent Essays

Honors English 9A-Period 5
November 18, 2016
The Corruption of Power
Abraham Lincoln said, “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man 's character, give him power.” Power can destroy traces of civilization or bring forth civilization; it can be both a good or bad thing. In William Golding’s The Lord of the Flies, the entire island is power hungry and it is fueled by it. Leaving the boys alone on an island, without any grownups, left all the power and control in the boys’ hands, invading the island with anarchy. The boys are lead from hope to disaster as they attempt to survive in the isolated environment of the island. Golding’s The Lord of the Flies expresses how power influences people’s actions, as a major theme through symbols and events such as: the conch shell, Piggy’s glasses, the signal fire, the separation of the boys, and the sow’s head.
The conch shell was one of the most important symbols in the novel. It was discovered by Piggy, “S’right. It’s a shell! I seen one like that before… It’s ever so valuable–” (Golding 15). The fact that it is so valuable, gave Piggy the idea to keep order between the boys by letting only the one holding the conch, to speak. The real power the conch possesses was made clear when Golding expresses, “But there was a stillness about Ralph as he sat that marked him out: there was his size, and attractive appearance; and most obscurely, yet most powerfully, there was the conch” (Golding 22). When the boys took a

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