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Who Is The Conch In Lord Of The Flies

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In life, humans change, one of the results of this change is the evolution of perspective and personality. These changes can happen for many reasons. As time progresses and people get older, they have different opinions about certain people, rules, and systems due to the things they are exposed to throughout their lives. In the novel Lord of The Flies, William Golding uses subtle images and symbols to illustrate the boys highly structured and civilized origins; but, as the boys begin to lose their sense of self and their civil leanings, symbols begin to reflect their slow descent into savagery. The change is made evident by symbols that Golding uses in the novel, such as the conch, the fire, and the beast, to represent the contradictory …show more content…

The conch becomes a symbol of law, order, and power. When rules are put in place by a person with authority, an individual is expected to act upon these orders because of the power that the authority figure symbolizes. After Piggy and Ralph find the conch, Piggy says, "We can use this to call the others. Have a meeting. They'll come when they hear us--" (Golding 14). Moments after finding the conch, its significance is strongly established as Golding refers to the conch as a symbol of law and order and power. In this quote, when Piggy and Ralph find the conch Piggy brings up the idea of using it to call the boys. Piggy shows confidence that the boys will respond to the call of the conch because they are civilized people who know to respond to the calling of an authorized person, or symbol in this case. Due to the duration of time that the boys spend on the island, the reader sees a gradual change in personality and civilization on the boys. The idea of having rules and orders is no longer put into effect. Rules are an important part of society. With few or no rules, the boys fall into destruction and lose the civilization of which they had upon arriving on the island. Piggy explains, “Which is better–to have rules and agree, or to hunt and kill?” (Golding 166). Shortly after this, Golding explains, “The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist” (Golding 167). When Piggy asks the other boys what they prefer, law or hunting, they respond by getting rid of the thing that represents law and order, so they have more space and time to continue their uncivilized behavior. Earlier in the novel, Roger was throwing rocks at the littluns, as he was experimenting with his savagery and breaking rules. Now, he fully lashes out that experimented savagery and shows signs of

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