Significance Of The Conch In Lord Of The Flies Essay

First, the conch shell is a symbol of civilization versus savagery throughout the story. At the start point of the novel, the conch shell is used to represent social conduct, authority, and unity among the boys, which brings them together through civilization. The group of boys describe the conch as power and use it to express the unity among themselves, “‘I’ll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he’s speaking… and won’t be interrupted’” (Golding 31). From what has been said, the group of boys showed civilized behaviour through the influence of the conch, to affect rules and to prevent savagery. As the novel advances, the conch shell becomes weak as Jack disobeys the authority of the conch. On the mountain, Jack does not adhere to the significance of the conch when it is in Piggy’s possession, “‘The conch doesn’t count on top of the mountain… so you shut up’” (42). Essentially, Jack does not accept the

He is a hypocritical person. He decided to make rules and punished whoever doesn’t obey but breaks these “rules” he made. He believes he’s a leader so he feels the need to do whatever he feels. On one of the articles “Get Revising” it can be argued that Jack says the conch isn’t important whatsoever and doesn’t apply to any situation but he still decided to use it at his own advantage. Whatever is beneficial to him he will use. Just like he decided to use the littluns to his own advantage. In the novel it states, “Jack was the first to make himself heard. He had not got the conch and thus spoke against the rules; but nobody minded”(79). Jack thinks he has the right to speak whenever because he had not gotten the conch with is going against the rules. This shows hypocritical actions. Towards the ending of the chapter Jack doesn’t give Piggy the right to speak even though he’s the one with the conch. Another piece of evidence that shows Jack acting out in hypocritical ways, “Piggy took the conch out of his hands. His voice was indignant. ‘I don’t believe in no ghosts!—ever!’ Jack was up too, unaccountably angry. ‘Who cares what you believe—fatty!’ ‘I got the conch!’ There was the sound of a brief tussle and the conch moved to and fro.’ ‘You gimme the conch back!’”(81). Ralph then reminds them of how they can’t have proper assemblies because of how they love to talk out of turn, they don’t stick to rules. Just

From Lord of the Flies, there were many things like Conch and Fire that symbolized something. One of the most important symbols was the Conch. The Conch, which is a big shell that can be seen at the beach symbolizes many things in the Lord of the Flies. The Conch represents power because it once was able to control the boys with it, and it also symbolizes democracy because of anyone who has their ideas and can speak their thoughts. The Conch represents unity because it was used to call an assembly and was used to put the boys and keep the peace between the boys so nobody would fight with each other. So, the conch is an important symbol in the novel, because it represents power, democracy, and unity.

In Lord Of The Flies by William Golding the conch has hidden meanings. There are so many others that could be talked about, but there is not enough time in this essay. I chose three that are major here they are Power, authority,and worthless. These are only a few examples of the conch.

He always questions the power of the conch and Ralph, saying that the conch rule does not matter on certain parts of the island, his part of the island. The part that the savages control. Yet he uses the conch to his advantage when possible, for example when he calls his own assembly to talk about Ralph not being chief. For him, the conch represents the rules and boundaries that have kept him from acting on the impulses to dominate others. Their entire lives in the other world, the boys had been used to the rules set by society against physical aggression. On the island, however, that social standard is not there and they need to be adults and set the rules. Jack has no one to tell him his behavior is bad. He quickly loses interest in that world of politeness and boundaries, which is why he feels no need to keep the fire going or attend to any of the other responsibilities that would help the entire group. His desire for power takes over his common sense and

Shortly after Jack’s rebellion and the forming of a new tribe, his violence transitions from insults to murder. Instantly, After the death and murder of Piggy and the destruction of the conch, Jack tells Ralph, “there isn’t a tribe for [him] any more” and proceeds to claim that “[he’s] chief”. Jack’s reaction to another individual's deaths shows the evil that resides within him as he no longer cares about human life, only power. He wanted to break the conch, because that’s what inforced the rules and was like magnet pulling the boys to Ralph’s tribe. Jack would do anything to get rid of it, even at the life of another. Piggy’s death signified the things Jack

Ralph notices this and tries to stop him by yelling “‘Jack! Jack! You haven’t got the conch! Let him speak.’”, and tells him in front of everyone, saying he’s “‘breaking the rules’” (Golding 129). Jack, however, furiously retorts that he “‘[doesn’t] care!’” (Golding 130). It is because of this behavior that he starts to chip away at the conch’s power over Ralph and the other kids. Along with this disagreement, he also outright refuses to concede with the rules, but instead acts immature and thinks the rules are “‘[Bollocks!] We’re strong—we hunt! If there’s a beast, we’ll hunt it down! We’ll close in and beat and beat and beat!’” (Golding 130). Jack goes even farther with this later in the book, even going so far as to to “tie Wilfred up…and beat Wilfred” (Golding 229) due to a mistake. This makes Jack a very strong leader, not unlike that of a dictator, using force to keep people in line.

After unsuccessfully trying to take away Ralph's power Jack states, “I’m going off by myself. He can catch his own pigs.” (Golding 145). This quote holds significance in Jack’s struggle for power. Jack finally found the power in himself to break away from a place where he felt oppressed. This quote also shows how Jack felt his hunting was very important to Ralph and their overall survival. Jack, from the beginning believed hunting was the most important thing no matter what everyone else said, and from this belief Jack created many conflicts like not maintaining the fire. By leaving Ralph to hunt for himself Jack believed he was leaving him to die. Golding uses this to illustrate Jack’s need for power. When all structure was lost he found structure in hunting and thought those who didn't were still lost. By breaking away he created the ability to build a life that made sense to him and invited anyone who wanted to join. When Jack realizes this he very abruptly changes from someone who is fighting for power to someone with strength and courage. Jack paints a mask of his face and almost instantly changes. “He began to dance and his laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling… The mask was a thing on its own, behind which Jack hid, liberated from shame and self-consciousness” (Golding 68). Almost instantly Jack was a different person to not only the people around him but also to himself. Like the conch Golding uses the mask as a symbol for power. With the mask Jack is someone who doesn’t have to follow rules and obey the conch. He shows his break away from the government by breaking the conch. “The conch exploded into a thousand white pieces and ceased to exist,” (Golding 209) and just as simply so did any power Ralph had over

Jarod Kintz, an author who has said great ideas, once said, “Sometimes a symbol holds more power than the thing it represents.” In Lord of the Flies, the conch held the power and represented authority. Throughout the book, the conch signified power, authority, and civilization. However, the conch’s importance lessened as order was lost amongst the boys. In Lord of the Flies, Golding showed that power and authority were represented by the conch but slowly diminished as savagery peaked.

First, the conch in the Lord of the Flies resembles civilization and order on the island. As the novel progresses the conch’s color and condition change, which mirrors the status of the island’s society. For example, the boys use the conch to decide who has the right

In the book, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the conch is a motif for the boys stuck on the island. It plays the role or power and civilization. The conch shell goes from being the most important thing on the island to nothing. As the book progresses the conch loses its power.

In his book “ Lord of the Flies”, Golding uses the conch as a symbol of power and order. For example, the boys use the conch to have an order in the right to speak; whoever has the conch has the turn to speak. When Ralph mentions the rules he explains “ We can’t have everybody talking at once”... “I'll give the conch to the next person” (Golding 33). This quote illustrates how the conch is used for control to ensure a civil relationship. This helped them stay organized when they were talking in meetings. The conch was also the only way to gather everyone together and speak one at a time.

The conch represents rules, leadership and power. Golding made the conch an important part in the book because that is what they ruled upon. Jack and Ralph use the conch to call a meeting and whoever held it during the meeting was the one allowed to speak. While holding the conch, they were the leader at that moment. It is quoted “The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded into thousand white fragments and ceased to exist.” (page 181) After this period in the novel the group realized this was a turning point...there was no longer a leader. Everyone was free to do what they want and would not get in trouble for doing

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.

When the boys first start a fire on top of the mountain, Piggy holds the conch and attempts to speak. But Jack scolds him by saying, “The conch doesn’t count on top of the mountain, so you shut up” (Golding 39). Boys like Jack begin to place restrictions on the conch and lose respect for it and for one another. Then one day at an assembly, Jack places even less importance on the conch excluding more of the boys and weakening the equal order and authority that the conch provides. Jack says, “We don’t need the conch anymore. We know who ought to say things...It’s time some people knew they’ve got to keep quiet and leave deciding things to the rest of us” (Golding 92). Jack’s statement here clearly connects the end of the conch to a change in the social order. Jack is slowly becoming a power-hungry dictator, and the orderly influence of the conch is replaced by man’s evil desires.