The Powers of the Symbols in "Lord of the Flies"

The biggest, and one of the most influential symbols in the book, the conch, plays a major role in showing the boys decline into savagery. When Lord of the Flies begins the first characters we see are Ralph and Piggy, Piggy being the first to discover a conch shell, that he gives to Ralph who says, “Seems to me we need to have a chief to decide things” (22). This marks the first

confide in the conch and when the conch is held up, it is a sign of

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.

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.

Lord of the Flies island is similar to our society in many ways. There are certain objects that link the island and our society. Firstly William Golding portrays the conch as a symbol for power, order and authority. This is because whoever holds it becomes the

The next reason for humanity to be pushed over is the fact that the boys were living on an island with no rules to be followed unless they were their own. In the first chapter on page. 16, Ralph proclaims this to piggy, “We can use this to call the others. Have a meeting. They’ll come when they hear us.” The conch represents power, and whoever had possession of it received this gift. This caused drama because everyone was “power hungry animals”, and they caused fights over who got to use the conch to make a statement. An example of one of these people is Jack. Who wanted the conch because with it, you could do and say anything. All in all, “Lord of the Flies,” can show readers that humanity can be covered up and turn rotten by selfishness, struggle, and envy.

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 a seashell, cream in color, which is used as a tool to call people. Symbols in The Lord of the Flies is very important because it helps with communication and identification of ideas. The conch in The Lord of the Flies by William Golding represents power, responsibility and leadership.When the boys hold meetings around the camp fire, only the speaker who is holding the conch may address the crowd.. At times the conch was disobeyed, you can see that in Chapter 1 the conch was powerful but later on in the book some of the boys started to talk over it. The boys in the novel start to develop a relationship with the conch which states Golding’s theme that humans, when

Think about a world with no rules or order. Would you like to live in a place like this? A place so chaotic, a place where you can barely fall asleep at night without being terrified of what might happen to you at night or if you may ever wake up again? In this book I am about to tell you about, you will understand such a place. Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, amazes his audience and readers with his symbolic book. William Golding uses the Conch in the Lord of the Flies to symbolize the power and order for Ralph and the rest of the children while Jack fights to be chief and slowly breaks down the power of the Conch until it is destroyed.

Lord of the Flies is an allegorical novel in which every person, place, thing, and event creates a parallel to another theme or idea. Golding uses these symbols to represent a much more complex idea. Overall, symbolism played an important role to develop the plot, as well as the overall theme. The main theme portrayed throughout the novel is the idea that savagery is within every person. Golding’s use of various symbols throughout Lord of the Flies, including the conch, the fire, Piggy’s glasses, and Ralph’s hair, show the boys’ gradual loss of civilization as events on the island bring out the savagery within them.

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.

"His head opened and stuff came out and turned red. Piggy's arms and legs twitched a bit like a pig after it has been killed" (217). This is what can happen to someone when all signs of civilization, order and power disappear and have no more meaning to members of a group or society. In the writing of William Golding's Lord of the Flies (1954), the symbol of power and civilization is the conch. Once that is lost, all bets are off. When the novel begins, two boys are talking about what has happened and why they are on this island. While walking on the beach, the main character Ralph then proceeds to find a shell which the two boys call the conch. Blowing on this shell Ralph calls a

Lord of the Flies has symbols throughout the story, each character brings a different point of view. Piggy, Ralph, and Jack take a leading role with all the boys, although they vote Ralph in charge both of the other boys take a leadership position. Goulding uses the boys to show the faults of mankind and the roots of all evil. Four symbols Goulding used in the novel were: Piggy’s glasses, the Conch Shell, The Beast, and Simon’s hiding place. Therefore, the symbols show the true character of the boys who are stranded on an island.

In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, three significant symbols throughout the novel include the conch shell, the beast, and the Lord of the Flies. These symbols not only aided in the development of the characters but also in their rescue. By the time the boys are rescued the meaning of each symbol has either been diverted or given a new interpretation.

The conch is seen as one of the major symbols of the novel. The conch can symbolize a democratic government. The conch has brought the boys together, formed their society. The conch has made their rules and regulations. In the book no one was suppose to talk unless they had the conch. Halfway through the book the conch starts losing its power. The boys split up into two different tribes. The conch symbolizes the rise and the fall of society’s rules, order, and regulation. It made people understand how much rules and regulations are important in a world’s society. Therefore, the conch mad the “Lord of the Flies” a smaller version of what our society is today.