Lord Of The Flies Conch

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.

Lord of the Flies is often claimed to be an allegory of modern society. While this is true, Golding’s intentions in writing this novel are much deeper. William Golding’s Lord of the Flies provides an enlightening insight into the true nature of human beings; along with why people refrain from acting upon the evil that resides within them. He presents these ideas through symbolism within the novel and it proves effective in many ways. Through symbolism, Golding can unfold the excellent plot of his novel, while subsequently sharing his ideas on the relationship of mankind and society. Golding uses the beast, the conch shell, and Piggy’s glasses to symbolize the human impulse towards ‘savagery’ and the social constructs put in place to prevent it.

Singer-songwriter Eric Burdon once said, “Inside each of us, there is the seed of both good and evil. It’s a constant struggle as to which one will win. And one cannot exist without the other.” In William Golding’s, Lord of the Flies, symbols are used to represent a deeper meaning to the novel. Three symbols he used are the conch, the Lord of the Flies, and the island. There are numerous amounts of symbols in the novel, one of them being the conch that Ralph and Piggy found.

The conch is displayed as a major symbol in Lord of the Flies by William Golding. The conch is brought up throughout the whole novel, but the characters never find out the real meaning of what the conch is. The conch represents three important symbols throughout the novel. One of the symbols that the conch represents is law. Law plays a big role in this novel. Another symbol the conch displays is order. Order is displayed mainly in the beginning of the novel with the conch. The final symbol the conch shows is power. Power is displayed throughout most of the novel with the conch. Law, order and power are symbolized by the conch in Lord of the Flies by William Golding.

"Lord of the Flies shows how intelligence and common sense of the average person will always be overthrown in society by sadism and the lure of totalitarianism. " (Critic C. B. Cox), the extent of which this quote may apply to, falls where one has the intellectual capability to resist these lures. While this analysis of consuming incivility is a very prominent theme throughout the book, the book also demonstrates how some in the book overcame these lures with the strength of their intelligence. The book demonstrates events in which intelligence and common sense are overthrown by sadism and totalitarianism, but it also demonstrates figures in the book which resist the lures of sadism and totalitarianism.

"A conch he called it. He used to blow it and his mum would come. It's ever so valuable" – Piggy, Lord of the Flies. The conch is a sea creature, its shell is revered in many cultures such as Hinduism and Buddhism for its beauty and the sound it makes. The conch is also that shell in Lord of the Flies which is blown into to gather the boys. The author, William Golding, uses the conch to show that democracy will succumb to rule by force in the face of serious trouble or need. In the book, it is a symbol of democratic power but it is not without its enemies who eventually overrule it.

Don’t we all have that special object that means something in a way no one else will understand? For example we the people of America are represented by the American flag which is composed up of seven red stripes delineating hardiness and valour while the white stripes represent purity and innocence, but together constitute the first 13 colonies. These stripes are accommodated by the 50 stars representing the 50 states. In the story of The Lord of Flies almost a dozen kids are put to the task of surviving. The only way of order for the group is given through the conch.

In William Golding’s novel “The Lord of the flies” there are more symbolic differences then similarities between the conch and the pigs head. Two differences that were in the novel was that the conch symbolised order and the pigs head on the stick symbolised the evil within them. Secondly the conch and the Pigs head on the stick show different types of power. And finally a similarity was that both the Conch and the Pigs head on the stick were broken in rage and anger.

Symbols are important to many people because they are a representation of their individuality. In the novel “Lord of The Flies”, the conch shell is a representation of leadership and the society. The scene where the conch is used to take turns speaking throughout the book is one of the most important scenes. It prevents the tribe from getting out of control, plus it was a great way for them to understand each other. The conch also displays order through the rule that you must have the conch to speak in an assembly or meeting. The reason for this rule is that we can’t have everybody talking at once. We’ll have to have ‘hands up’ like at school. Therefore it won’t be messy. At first everyone thinks that this is the best method to maintain order

Throughout the book Lord of the flies, there are symbols in the book that either shows how the kids are coming together or how they fall deeper and deeper into savagery. The symbols include: the conch, the beast, and the hunters body/face paint. The conch is referred to as a source of power to Ralph, it is shown to be what holds the kids together-ish until it is eventually broken, and a temporary power to those that wished to speak and give ideas about how to improve their life on the island. The conch brings all of the scattered kids together so they can establish rules, take down how many there are of them, and a village. The main reason Ralph became chief is because of the conch, so while he’s the chief he creates “the rule of the conch” amongst themselves, however, most of the kids (especially Jack), go against the idea of not being able to talk while someone has

In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, a conch symbolizes power, order, control, and organization. The conch is used to call all meetings to order and the only person that is allowed to speak is the person holding the conch. Since there are no adult figures on the Island there needed to be some sort of order. The boys decided to use the conch to symbolize the power and control. “Ralph held up the conch for silence”(Chapter 1 Page 23). This shows the power the conch held, If someone held it up it stopped all conversation. “ By the time ralph finished blowing the conch the platform was crowded” (Chapter 2 Page 32). The blowing of the conch got everyone’s attention and it was one object or sound that everyone listened to. In chapter two at the

In the novel, Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding, a group of boy without adult got lost on a tropical island. To continue to survive, they made up their own rule and chosen a leader, but there are always troubles waiting for them. Under Golding’s hand, the simplest things have become powerful symbols. The use of symbols provided a deep elucidation of the novel. The conch shell symbolize leadership, Piggy’s glasses symbolize hope and the beast symbolize evil.

“Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family. ”- Kofi Annan.

The development of civilization and the influence of rules and regulations on mankind have suppressed man's innate savage side. In his book, “Lord of the Flies”, William Golding explores the consequences of isolating a group of British schoolboys from society. Golding uses an extensive amount symbolism to convey that humans instinctively embrace their savage side without the restraints of civilization. He uses the conch to symbolize law and order, the glasses to illustrate logical and rational thinking and the fire to express hope and rescue. The deterioration of the physical appearance of the conch along with the power it held over the boys symbolizes the loss of civilization on the island.

For centuries philosophers, have debated the question of whether man is naturally evil. William Golding poses this question in his novel Lord of the Flies. Set on a tropical island during World War II, the novel begins when schoolboys from Great Britain are being flown to safety and their plane is shot down. No adults survive, and the boys are left to control themselves and get rescued. The boys find a conch, which is a symbol of power and authority to whoever has it in his possession. William Golding uses symbolism in the form of the conch to represent the concept of society. Throughout the course of the novel, the boys developing relationship with the conch