Essay about The Conch in William Golding's Lord of the Flies

The book I read is Dog Tags and the book takes place in WW2, it`s about a boy who lies about his age so he can get into the military. His squadron is attacked and his position is overrun by the Nazis and a tree fell over and knocked him out and when he wakes up he is alone. I would recommend this book for readers that like war history books. The book enables you to appreciate the character’s thoughts and feelings. The reader can empathize with the characters.

Throughout both worlds, of reality and literature, an object can represent multiple ideas on a literal and theoretical implication. In William Golding’s Lord Of the Flies, the conch and many other objects are used as symbols to further establish the understanding of the story. The conch, originally discovered by Ralph and Piggy, was unintentionally used to signal the other survivors on the island. It was a physical shell whilst acting as a symbol for unity throughout the novel. In reality, accessories used to represent the idea of unity are wedding ring exchanged in a ceremony of marriage.

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.

"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.

There are symbols everywhere. A flag is just a piece of fabric to some, but to others it symbolizes freedom and patriotism. Some books, such as the Lord of the Flies show a vast amount of examples of what symbols are. This story, the Lord of the Flies, has a lot of symbols, such as the glasses or the conch. In Lord of the Flies by William Golding the conch shell symbolizes authority, which is derived from the structure and security within society.

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 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.

Symbolism: a way for the author to help the reader relate to everyday actions and items that may be common but unnoticed to us. Symbolism is an important part of a book because it provides a deeper meaning of things, gives a theme and gives the reader a way to relate to the book with everyday possessions/actions in life. For example a person might relate to it because they might argue with someone about an object when there is something more meaningful to what it really is. There is a bigger picture. What would a book be if there was no symbolism?

The conch is used to show authority. The conch is first used to call the boys together for meetings. Then it is utilized for speaking privileges. Ralph is the first one to use the conch to call a meeting, which automatically makes him the leader among the boys. The boys vote him leader because he is the one who holds the power in his hands, he never actually shows any leadership skills so far in the novel.

In society, we generally have a set of guidelines that shape the behavior of people. Without these guidelines, bedlam may occur. In the work Lord of the Flies by William Golding, there is a symbolic meaning of democracy, civilization, and order; it is the conch. Over the course of the book, the meaning diminishes, contributing to the theme of power exists in everything, but the way it is used is dependent on the situation.

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.

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

He finds it, is able to use it as a call to gather the boys on the island, and then uses it throughout his chieftain to be able to acquire power and listening of the boys. “Hands were reaching for the conch in light of the setting sun. He held on and leapt on the trunk… ‘You voted me as chief now you do what I say’ … Jack stood scowling in the gloom and held out his hands” (Golding 81). This evidence not only shows the use of the conch as Ralph being the chief, but also the start of tension and power struggle the conch creates between Ralph and Jack. In the end of the book, the conch becomes an attempted item of barter and Ralph tries to use his power against Jack. “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). The breaking of the conch and Piggy’s death really pinpoints the exact moment of Ralph's lost hope of any kind of reconciling and or peace between him and Jack. It was the end of playing the “fair

"The whole world has gone back to something we are genetically engineered to do- communication through symbols” - James Woods. This intricate piece of literature called ‘Lord of the Flies’ has broadcasted it’s perplexed topics through a network of symbols. Through the use of symbols such as the conch, the pig's head, and the characters themselves, Golding demonstrates that humans, when isolated from society's rules and restraints, allow their natural capacity for evil to dominate their existence. The allegorical novel, Lord of the Flies' moral about power is expressed through symbols. The conch, the Lord of the Flies, and the characters are all symbols that sustain the idea of power throughout this novel.

In the book, Lord of the flies the boys try to establish order on the island by choosing someone to be in charge. Ralph was chosen as leader. He would use the conch shell to get everyone’s attention and to have everyone focus on the person with the conch shell. They established groups of boys for specific jobs for example “The Hunters.” “ We need an assembly. Not for fun. Not for laughing and falling off the log. For cleverness. Not for those things. But to put things straight.” (79) In the beginning having ralph as leader they listened to him and his rules he put in place, for example the conch shell. As time went on this no longer worked. There were more problems and conflicts between the boys.