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How Does Golding Present The Conch In Lord Of The Flies

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In William Golding's Lord Of The Flies, the boys on the island come in contact with many different elements that symbolize ideas. Golding demonstrates that when human beings do not have rules, authority, and a government they allow their natural savage instinct to take over. Through the use of symbolism, Golding uses the Conch, The Painted faces of the boys, and Piggy’s glasses to portray this thesis. During Lord Of The Flies, The conch is an important symbol that represents democracy and is an effective object that symbolizes the fall of civilization as savagery took over. The conch was initially used to gather the kids together so they can assemble and create rules. This is evident in the quote “We’ll have hands up, Like at school” …show more content…

Degeneration of the civilized way of life on the island is very evident through the painted faces. When concealed by the masks, the hunters and Ralph changed to a different personality and they dismissed the society that once kept them from their savage natural urges. This is shown when Jack first paints his face and the author explains this moment by “he began to dance and his laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling” (64). This shows that Jack felt like a different person when he painted his face. It also proves this because Jack would have never done these types of actions back in his home society. In addition to this Golding uses the colours of the paint to illustrate human nature. The paint was red,black, and white and these colors are closely interpreted with violence. Secondly, the feeling of liberation gained from the paint caused the boys to participate in barbaric actions and the hunts they went on symbolized their primal urges. When Ralph tried to explain the importance of keeping the signal fire alive the boys did not listen whatsoever as they were occupied with thoughts of their hunts. A quote that supports this argument is when Jack interrupted Ralph and said “ There was lashing of blood” (69) and “ You should’ve seen it” (69). This emphasizes how badly the boys wanted to hunt and they …show more content…

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

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