Conch Lord Of The Flies Analysis

In the novel Lord of the flies, Golding traces the defects of society back to defects of natural Human nature. William Golding uses Ralph, the conch, and the island to show the defects of society through symbolism.

A society cannot flourish without a set of laws or a leader. Out of all of the boys, Ralph had the most potential to create and lead a new society. Ralph organized this society and set rules with Piggy, who represents knowledge. Ralph never realized how dedicated piggy was as a friend to Ralph until it was too late. The downfall began once the conch came into existence. Once the savagery got worse, Ralph realizes how much he misses Piggy. ”Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man 's heart, and the fall through the air of a true, wise friend called

At one point, all law and order came crashing down. "The world, that understandable and lawful world, was slipping away" (Golding 82). The boys were turning to savagery, abandoning all thoughts of their past ways of life.

The whole island is a jungle, which represents no civilization. The jungle is home of the beast, which can also make the island symbolize how evil can overcome the boys within a short time span. The evil contaminates almost everyone on the island. “Just as in the jungle, darkness poured out, submerging the ways between the trees till they were dim and strange as the bottom of the sea"(Golding 57). The boys go through traumatizing experiences with make them grow further and further apart from society. They are physically and mentally affected till they lose their sense of integrity.

The Lord of the flies shows the fear that can create a beast from our imaginations. Golding uses symbolism to illustrate the novel 's main theme of darkness. In Lord of the Flies the symbols give off a better understanding of the underlying evil within