Conch Allegory

Lord of the Flies is a gruesome, dark and intense novel written as a political allegory by the author William Golding. In this novel Lord of the Flies, there are various significant symbols the most being Piggy’s glasses because of how it allows a logical smart boy to see and perform tasks, it becomes a tool of innovation being able to start fires, and how it leads to the destruction of an island.

Symbols are often used in literature to drive plot, give clues to events in the story, and develop key characters. They have more than one meaning, and in the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding there are three key symbols used: the conch, Piggy’s eyeglasses and the impaled pigs head. These three symbols will be discussed by using specific references to the text as well as examining how they negatively impact the characters in the story.

The novel Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding is a very iconic book in my opinion. This novel consists mostly of symbolism. Lord of the Flies talked about the relationship of teenage boys who survived a plane crash together. The boys are all on their own and struggling. They encounter many incidences that comply symbolism. A couple of the acts of symbolism are the beast the boys kept imagining, Piggy’s glasses, and the conch. The boys are all afraid of the beast, Piggy’s glasses demonstrate the fact that he saw everything more clear then the boys and how he started the fire. Lastly, the last of the most important symbolisms in the novel is the conch, showing the civilization and order.

In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, he shows what he believe is truly hidden in people in a series of ideas and symbols hidden in people and objects. The symbolism of the fire, the conch and Piggy’s glasses are important for the message in the book.

The novel the Lord of the Flies is about a group of young British school boys who are 6-14 years old by themself on a deserted island. The symbols of the Conch shell, Piggy’s Specs and the Fire had changed throughout the Lord of the Flies by William Golding.The story explains how the boys become savages by not having a structure society causing them to lose their humanity.

Glasses. They light the signal fire. Therefore, Piggy’s glasses are an archetype for hope. They represent the hope of a ship catching sight of the smoke; the hope of rescue. After building an enormous fire, they boys realize they have no means of lighting the pile of wood. Jack then exclaims, “His specs—use them as burning glasses!” (pg 40). Before this revelation, the glasses were only useful to Piggy, now they are essential to the deliverance of the boys from the island. Piggy’s glasses enable piggy to see and are the reason for the island’s ability to be seen.

The narrator shows how Piggy wants the boys to be involved in their government ideas with quotes like,“I take the conch to say that I can’t see without my glasses and I have to get them back” (192). Piggy’s glasses represent intelligence

Piggy’s glasses are meaningful both literally and figuratively in The Lord Of The Flies because they are the source of fire and symbolize Piggy’s intelligence and civility. Piggy, Ralph, and Samneric

Sometimes in society, the people with the most outreach and knowledge get shoved to the side and ignored. Piggy often values his conch shell, gets ignored, and silently leads the group. When a situation gets tough or controversial, Piggy usually takes to talking about the conch and what it represents for him. In his eyes, the conch is a “white, magic shell” and is important to the well being of the boys (11.200). Piggy values the conch so much because it gives the boys a little bit of order, and Piggy himself represents knowledge and order through his actions. Even though Piggy represents all these things, he still gets ignored by the group based on his appearance and the way he talks. As an assertive member of the group early in the book,

First of all, Piggy’s glasses symbolize science and technology and the ability to see things clearly. “His specs—use them as burning glasses” (40), this quote by Jack explains the symbolization of science and technology because it shows the audience how Piggy’s glasses were used to start the fire. His glasses also symbolize the ability to see things clearly. This is supported by the quote, “The first thing we ought

Golding uses the glasses as a symbol of common sense and rationality. Both of these qualities are possessed by a civilized human being. Golding shows the glasses as a symbol of power and introduces this when the boys say “His specs, use them as burning glasses” (159). This shows that initially the glasses were used as a piece of tech and symbolic of technological advancement made by man. The glasses also started a fire which was used as a signal to catch the attention of a plane or ship. Throughout the novel, the glasses get soiled by dirt. When Piggy speaks in front of the assembly he finds himself taking off his glasses and wiping them, “Piggy took off his glasses and blinked at the assembly while he wiped them on his shirt.” (38). In this quote, an analysis that can is that as Piggy’s glasses were getting worn out and his vision was less clear the boys also start getting blinded by reason, common sense, and cruelty. Furthermore, it shows that the more rules are broken the dirtier the glasses get. As it is known, the glasses are a sign of power and as the urge to rule spread on the island it became a fight for power. This fight of power lead to jack stealing and breaking Piggy’s glasses, “From his left dangled Piggy’s broken glasses” (131). The glasses had become the most important item on the island and this emphasizes to the reader that society can be destroyed by cruelty if rules

In the novel, The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, there are multiple symbols that are used and put there by the author to add depth and meaning to the story. The reader as he goes on finds the symbolism of the pig, the ‘lord of the flies, and the conch used as a talking stick. The author also presents Piggy’s glasses as a symbol. Glasses, as we all know, are used to improve one’s sight, but can also be used for something so important as survival in the wilderness as the readers of The Lord of the Flies have seen. The boys in The Lord of the Flies used Piggy’s glasses to reflect light onto dry branches to make a fire that released smoke as a distress signal to alert any ongoing ships. Smoke has been a common distress signal

Piggy was a stout boy who was different from all the other boys on the island because he had asthma and wore glasses. The glasses throughout the story were used to start a fire, but also

Lord Of the Flies by William Golding is an allegory, because although it has a literal plot line it also has a symbolical plot line. An allegory is a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one. Some British school boys were flying on a plane and it gets shot down. The boys survive on an island and have to deal with what they call the ¨beast”. The “beast” is not a physical thing but a symbol of their fear and their evil doings.

In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, three significant symbols throughout the novel include the conch shell, the beast, and the Lord of the Flies. These symbols not only aided in the development of the characters but also in their rescue. By the time the boys are rescued the meaning of each symbol has either been diverted or given a new interpretation.