“The knowledge that makes us cherish innocence makes innocence unattainable.” Irving Howe. One is born with innocence but quickly can be taken away. Golding has one goal and that is too show the show the reader how quickly mankind can lose its innocence. There are many forms of symbolism in the lord of the flies, the three most important ones are the conch, Piggy’s glasses and, Ralphs hair.
In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies the Conch represents power and order. The Power of the Conch is characterized when the boys have to hold the conch in order to speak in power. Order is shown in when the person has ownership of the conch there is a meeting held and everyone must tune in to the shell holder. “‘Him with the shell.” “Ralph! Ralph!” “Let him be chief with the trumpet thing’ (Golding 22). This shows that the boys look up to whomever is holding the shell. While looking throughout the story the boys never have a meeting without the shell. He shell is what allows the boys on the Island to gather in an orderly fashioned mater. The Conch is a major symbol in the book.
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Piggy’s glasses in the book are not just represented as a tool but as a symbol. Glasses help with sight and sight is a metaphor for knowledge. Piggy is the most knowledgeable student on the island as he knows what is happening in the grown up world and is not sheltered by ignorance. “‘His specs-use them as burning glasses! ‘“(Golding 52). This shows that the symbol of piggy’s glasses representing knowledge and how it is a key factor of survival for the boys. At the end of the book when piggy’s lens is broken by Jack, one can see that the society starts to crumble. Piggy’s glasses are a symbol of