Therefore these quotes demonstrate the belief that religion cannot be forgotten or society will fail, just as the boys forgot the conch shell and turned into savages. Throughout William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, a conch shell comes to symbolize religion. As the book progresses, that symbol becomes more clear. This clarity is achieved through how it brought the boys together, gives them order, and when it is forgotten ultimately causes savagery. Of the all the symbols used in Lord of the Flies, the conch shell becomes not only one of the most obvious, but also one of the most important.
Its ever so valuable. (18) Seen in the quote, the conch is recognized as a potentially very important item in keeping rules and order, and civilization and law among the children. The conch is used to call meetings as when it is held, you are allowed to
They’ll come when they hear us.” (16). Since the conch also represented the freedom of speech, in chapter two, Simon says, “I’ll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he’s speaking.” (33). The conch was a representation of civilization and democracy, and it helped the boys be organized when they had to call meetings. Piggy and Ralph’s idea of having the conch as a way of calling meetings, was an extremely good idea.
Another example of this symbol is in the last chapter, when Ralph is being chased by the hunters, and he runs across the pig 's head again. He is driven to rage just by looking at it- he feels like it is laughing at him and even comments that it gleams white like the conch had. His rage in front of the Lord of the Flies symbolizes the evil within him. Golding also purposely compares the skull to the conch to show that savagery has replaced the civilization the conch
Furthermore, the conch represents civilization back in England with its rules and structure. When planning a rescue, the boys race off the build a fire. Upon the mention of fire, “half the boys were on their feet. Jack clamored among them, the conch forgotten” (Golding 38). Building the fire represents the adventure on the island and the conch represents the old ways of English Civilization.
In the novel Lord of the Flies by Willian Golding, each character has impacts on the overall purpose of the story. Piggy, for instance, have many influences in the novel. The author used Piggy's intelligence and maturity to show the readers how there is evil in each one of us. Though Piggy lacks the quality of a leader, he was the smartest boy among the other boys. In the story, the author wrote, "Once more that evening Ralph had to adjust his values.
These symbols can be seen where the conch represents an orderly society, Piggy’s glasses represent science, and the Lord of the Flies is the inherent evil in man. The conch plays an imperative
He used to blow it and then his mum would come. It’s ever so valuable.’” (Golding, page 15). It shows that the conch shell is very valuable and that whenever you use it, you have the chance to speak and be heard. This connects to how you use an object to show who is in charge because Ralph blows the conch and when he does, people respect him and listen to what he has to say. It represents civilization and respect for law and order because in order to get everything under control and inform everyone, you need meetings which he gets when he blows the
The conch shell, representing law and order, assisted in the election of Ralph as chief and ultimately determines the future of the island. However, as time progresses, the conch shell loses its power, when which allows Jack to rise as chief of his tribe. The conch eventually becomes only a reminder of how rational the boys used to be. Once the conch shell shatters and Piggy dies due to Roger’s illogical decision of triggering the lever and releasing the boulder, the era of rationality completely ends, marking the beginning of a complete savage takeover. At first, the conch represents democracy, power, and civilized behaviors, but in the end, the destruction of the conch shell illustrates the innate evil in human beings and the abrupt end of a civilization.
There aretwo main symbols the conch and the pig’s head, order and savagery respectively (Lord of theFlies Analysis, Themes and Symbolism). These symbols are not to be confused with the humansymbols of civilization (Jack and Ralph). These symbols represent the actual concept of orderand savagery. The conch brought order to the civilization by setting the rule that to speak onemust hold the conch, it acted as a regulator for meeting. It literally kept order.