Lord of the Flies, William Golding: The Power and Theme of the Conch Shell

This simple shell was of great significance to the boys on the island. The conch is first introduced by Piggy and Ralph when they are the only characters in Lord of the Flies. They both know there are more boys on the island and Piggy remembers you can blow in the shell and it makes sound, “We can use this to call the others. Have a meeting. They’ll come when they hear us” (Golding 16). The conch stands for democracy. Ralph is the chief and no one dares to question his leadership, except Jack. William Golding also uses symbolism in his novel to show the conflict between the boys. Ralph has just blown into the shell calling all boys that might have been lost on the island. Jack walks up to the meeting place with his choir group “When he saw of the fair-haired boy with the creamy shell on his knees did not seem to satisfy him” (20 Golding). Jack is the type of person that does not like to take orders from anyone, Golding shows Jack’s rebellion by not respecting Ralph’s democracy. Another example why the conch represents democracy is when Golding uses the conch to show how savagery has taken over. “The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist’ (Golding 181). At the time of Piggy’s death, when it was only Ralph by his side, the savage influenced boys has finally brought order to an end. The democracy that has given all the

William Golding’s Lord of the Flies explores the theme that instincts destroy innocence when Golding depicts the conch as a symbol of law and has the boys go from success to destruction. The Conch was a big part of the way things went on the boy's journey. It helped them solve problems, but also sometimes led them to having problems within themselves. Some boys felt good having the conch because it gave the feeling of safety and organization.

The setting there changes and also the conch shell is part of the environment which setting development includes. The conch shell in this part of the story is foreshadowing because the boys realize that you can blow in it and it creates a noise that people would react to so maybe new characters would be found throughout the story that the conch shell will bring together. The conch shell also represents symbolism because throughout the story Ralph uses the conch shell to call meetings. The conch shell represents coming together. “Been working for days now.

In the fictional novel, Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding, the conch shell, discovered by Ralph and Piggy at the beginning of the novel, has major importance. The conch is symbolic of civilization and community in the novel. The conch shell’s symbolic power in the novel is evident through several instances. The symbolism of the conch shell is important in many instances in the text.

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.

Though Ralph did find and identify the conch, It is Piggy who describes and explains to Ralph the sound to Ralph. Ralph just takes the conch, even though he doesn’t know how to use it, yet Piggy does. The conch becomes valuable because it helps Ralph become the chief (despite Piggy being the one who had general knowledge about the conch.)

vote for Ralph to be chief just because he was the one with the Conch.

"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.

For a human society to take place, an order is required. From order, comes leadership and authority. Humans create rules in order to protect and look after their society. At times, these rules may fall apart, possibly leading to chaos and destruction. William Golding’s novel “Lord of the Flies,” demonstrates to its readers that the conch shell symbolized leadership and authority, as the characters exposed their inner savages.

Some actions made my individuals not only has an effect on the people around them, but the objects close by as well. This important object or sign, can all be based upon the people using it, and also be in relation to its environment and surroundings. In the novel, The Lord of the Flies, the author, William Golding uses a conch shell to represent different meanings throughout his novel. The message in each of the different meanings of the conch, show how a group of young, British boys are changing their behavior and personality deeper into the novel. The conch in the Lord of the Flies, begins as a sign of authority, becomes a symbol of disorganization, and concludes to transform into a weapon of death.

Thesis: In the Lord of the Flies, the conch shell reflects important values which show the conflict of Ralph and Jack throughout the novel. The conch shell represents authority, order and civilization.

The conch shattering on page 181 signals the destruction of the island’s scant society. Like order, the conch in Lord of The Flies is fragile. Since the beginning of the book, the conch had been a sign of the humanity the boys had left behind. The boys’ respect for the shell is shown when it is described as “...deep cream, touched here and there with fading pink. Between the point, worn away into a little hole, and the pink lips of the mouth, lay eighteen inches of shell...covered with a delicate, embossed pattern” (Golding 16).

In William Golding’s novel, The Lord of the Flies, a large group of privileged English schoolboys are stranded on an island in the Pacific with no adults after the plane they were on crash-landed. The boys are brought together by the Conch that is blown by Ralph in the beginning of the book. The conch is symbolic of order and authority in the book. The boys go under a transformation of these privileged schoolboys to a group of rag tag savages trying to kill each other for power throughout the course of this book. This essay will be outlining the transition from good boys that listen to authority, into boys that rely on their id of savagery, and the descent to evil, destruction and panic through the journey and

The Conch shell was a symbol that changed throughout the the story by showing how the boys became savages. The way they treated the Conch Shell changed from the beginning of the story to the end of the story changed. In the story, when the boys assemble for the first time, “‘I tried to get over that hill to see if there was water all around but your shell called us.’ Ralph smiled and held up the conch for silence” (Golding 23). This shows that at the beginning of the story that the Conch Shell was respected by the boys and that when it was raised in the air Ralph knew that the Jack and the boys would quiet down. While at

The conch shell is the opening symbol in the novel and lasts roughly to the very end of the story. The conch is found by Ralph and Piggy, which they use to summon the boys together after the crash. “We can use this to call the others. Have a meeting. They’ll come when they hear us—" (Golding 16). The conch represents civilization and order on the island. In the start the conch is given to a boy