What Does The Sow's Head Represent In Lord Of The Flies

The conch a significance a powerful symbol of civilization.The shell governs the boys meetings and the respect they have with each other.For example as the novel progress the conch, “we can use this to call the others. Have a meeting, they'll come when they hear this.”(Golding 22)Piggy tells ralph that blowing the conch anyone else on the island will come when they hear it. It symbolizes the forces that brought the boys together.Later the conch becomes disrespected and cannot hold everyone together anymore. The boys become savages and lose every resource they have to survive in the island.Jack and Ralph feud “I’m chief and i've got the conch ralph says, Jack responds you don’t have it with you and the conch doesn't count at this end of the

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.

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

The Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding, is thought-provoking, profound, and symbolic. Many symbols in this novel are extremely important to the plot; for instance, the conch shell. On the one hand, the conch shell in this novel is just that, a shell. On the other hand, it holds a great deal of importance for the boys in this novel and the readers of this story.

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.

The conch is just a shell, But it does represents much more than that, the conch is power, order, respect and civility and when it's broken, It’s the loss of civilization. The conch is first found by Piggy and Ralph when they first get to the beach. Piggy who’s seen one before at someones house said “He used to blow it and then his mum would come. It’s ever so Valuable”(11). Then later Ralph used it to do the same thing by blowing in it to find all the boys on the island and to call meeting later. During one of the

The novel Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding is a very iconic book in my opinion. This novel consists mostly of symbolism. Lord of the Flies talked about the relationship of teenage boys who survived a plane crash together. The boys are all on their own and struggling. They encounter many incidences that comply symbolism. A couple of the acts of symbolism are the beast the boys kept imagining, Piggy’s glasses, and the conch. The boys are all afraid of the beast, Piggy’s glasses demonstrate the fact that he saw everything more clear then the boys and how he started the fire. Lastly, the last of the most important symbolisms in the novel is the conch, showing the civilization and order.

The conch is well respected and gives meanings of authority, the boys decide that no one can speak unless he holds the conch, representing order from the old schoolyard society of strict limitations. Quote: "Ralph felt the conch lifted from his lap. Then Piggy was standing cradling the great cream shell and the shouting died down." In this quote, the conch is lifted as though it was as powerful as a crown, reminding the distracted group of rules; that

“Beside the pool his sinewy body held up a mask that drew their eyes and appalled them. He began to dance and his laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling.” Often in literature symbols are used to portray a concept or idea. Lord of the Flies is a prominent user of symbolism, whether it’s characters or objects, many things in the story represents something that it does not physically appear to represent. While using all of this symbolism, the author of Lord of the Flies, William Golding, expertly uses show don’t tell. One very unique and interesting use of symbolism he uses is in the way the characters are dressed and the way they look as symbols. The outward appearance of the boys on the island is used as a symbol to show the mental state

The conch is an item that Piggy and Ralph found while on the beach at the beginning of the story. William Golding uses the conch as a symbol of order and a governing body throughout the story. Many of the characters revere this as a precious item, one character specifically is Piggy.

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

Coupled with Piggy’s glasses, the conch shell also represents human nature strongly. When Piggy and Ralph first arrive on the island, the two boys find a conch shell and use it to make a horn-like sound which gathers the other boys on the island for a meeting. The boys called a meeting in the following quotation, “His ordinary voice sounded like a whisper after the harsh note of the conch. He laid the conch against his lips, took a deep breath and blew once more.” This conch shell represents the power and order of human nature. The boys also used the conch shell to determine who was speaking which again gave the boys a sense of power. There were often fights over who had the conch which indicates that humans are power-hungry.

Symbolism is a very important factor in many books. The use of symbolism in William Golding’s novel The Lord of the Flies is the most essential aspect to the function of the story. At first glance you may not think the symbols are very important, but with some in-depth thought you can see how it is necessary to explain the microcosm of an island.

Lord of the Flies has more symbols than just the ones in this essay. Goulding shows the

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.