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Lord Of The Flies Symbolism

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The human mind consists of two instincts that constantly have conflict with each other: the instinct to live by society’s rules and the instinct to live by one’s own rules. Eventually, everyone chooses to live by one or the other depending on how they feel is the correct way to live. In the allegorical novel “Lord of the Flies”, William Golding utilizes these two instincts to create the theme of civilization versus savagery and in order to exhibit this, Golding uses a wide range of symbols. Golding’s very first symbol is the conch as he uses it to show the start of civilization on the island, he then moves onto using the beast and its growth of relevance and finally uses the fire to finish the novel in an ironic way.

At the start, the conch is shown as a symbol of civilization on the island, but as time progresses there is a decline of its importance and this is where the symbolism for savagery can be seen. Through the use of the conch and how it changes throughout the story, Golding conveys the theme easily by clearly portraying the role that the conch plays as well as changing its appearance and how the boys react to it throughout the novel. An example of the theme of civilization appearing in the conch can be seen when Ralph announces one of the first rules. "I’ll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he’s speaking" (Golding, 1954, page 31). It is evident that with the help of the conch the boys act in a civilized manner and law and order is

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