More handpicked essays just for you.
Use of symbolism in Lord of the flies
Symbolism in the novel The Lord of Flies
Symbolism in the lord of the flies essay
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Over the course of the book, The Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the conch shell represents both order and democracy at the beginning of the novel and loss of hope and despair at the end. In the beginner, it is used as a way gather everyone on the island together and to promote order, in the middle of the novel, it is fought over, and toward the end, it is destroyed representing anarchy and chaos.
At the beginning of the novel, the conch is found by Piggy and used to gather everyone on the island. Piggy, having asthma, gives the shell to Ralph who blows into it: “[Ralph] hit the shell with air from his diaphragm. Immediately the thing sounded. A deep, harsh note boomed under the palms, spread through the intricacies of the forest, and echoed back from the pink granite of the mountain. Clouds of birds rose from the treetops…” (17). When Ralph did this, children started to appear form the jungle and from the beach,
…show more content…
Ralphs goes to his tribe and tries to talk with him (Ralph has the conch shell): “’I’m chief,’ said Ralph… I’ve got the conch—‘… ‘the conch doesn’t count at this end of the island—‘”(150). This means that jack has not only disregarding Ralph, but the conch as well and doesn’t care whether or not someone is holding it when they speak. It only gets worse for the conch shell and any chance at order and democracy from here. Members of Jack’s tribe stole Piggy’s glasses so Piggy bringing the conch hoped to reason with Jack to get his glasses back but on the way, Roger attempted to kill piggy by rolling a rock down on piggy: “The rock struck Piggy… the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist.”(181). This here is the complete destruction of order and democracy. Now, only anarchy and chaos exists on the island with Jack in total
Piggy first finds the conch shell, being the most intelligent of the boys on the island, Piggy knows what the conch is after stumbling upon it and how to use it. Piggy, being physically larger than the other boys and having asthma, is unable to use the conch himself. Piggy hands the shell over to Ralph who, “…grasped the idea and hit the shell with air from his diaphragm. Immediately the thing sounded. A deep, harsh note boomed under the palms…” (Golding 17) Despite the fact Piggy was the one to find the shell, Ralph becomes its main possessor after being the only one to conjure a sound from the shell. Along with being the first to use the shell, Ralph is much more courageous, physically fit, and charismatic than Piggy, qualities shown in a natural-born leader. Ralph indirectly asserts his authority and power over Piggy by being able to blow the conch, in which Piggy cannot. From this point on, Ralph has ownership over the conch, this associates the idea of authority with Ralph’s character altogether. Shortly after the conch shell is blown, young boys of varying ages begin to appear among the palms, as more boys appeared Ralph made it clear that they are in the process of a meeting. The main purpose of the meeting is to find the
From Lord of the Flies, there were many things like Conch and Fire that symbolized something. One of the most important symbols was the Conch. The Conch, which is a big shell that can be seen at the beach symbolizes many things in the Lord of the Flies. The Conch represents power because it once was able to control the boys with it, and it also symbolizes democracy because of anyone who has their ideas and can speak their thoughts. The Conch represents unity because it was used to call an assembly and was used to put the boys and keep the peace between the boys so nobody would fight with each other. So, the conch is an important symbol in the novel, because it represents power, democracy, and unity.
The conch is a valuable item at the beginning of the book that holds a lot of power. Although the boys were able to come together and elect a chief among themselves, the chief does not hold the most power within the civilization. During the first whole group meeting where Piggy, observes
Generally speaking, the conch has represented democracy and collectiveness throughout the novel. Golding uses the conch to highlight many different ideas in the book by setting the story on an island, which is a microcosm of the entire world and the world that the boys lived in before encountering the fateful crash of the plane. The group of boys encounter problems which, even on this island, they are unable to escape from. It is important to remember that at the same time, there is a nuclear war taking place. The ‘long scar’ that ‘smashed into the jungle’ implies that the island has already been ruined permanently. It seems as though the attempt to remove the boys from a war-filled world has failed because the island is already contaminated by the crash of the plane, which was shot down by an enemy plane, this is somewhat related to warfare. The boys now need to survive on the island and this causes problems revolving around social order, as there are no adults present. In that case, some of the problems are attempted to be resolved by using the conch.
The conch shell represents democracy, power, and stability. When Ralph first discovers the conch shell, Piggy proposes to Ralph that they, “.can use this to call the others. Have a meeting with us. They’ll come, when they hear us” (16) and that was the birth of the conch shell. Throughout meetings that are held at the beach, the conch is used as a “speaking stick”.
At the beginning of the novel, Ralph and Piggy discover a conch shell on the beach and use it to summon the boys together after the crash separates them. The conch shell becomes a symbol of civilization and order in the novel. The shell initially is a successful way of governing the boys’ meetings, following simple etiquette—whoever is holding the shell has the right to speak. The shell acts as more than a symbol, it is a tool...
civilization can be see through many different forms of symbolism. One of the main forms of symbolism that can represent the theme is the conch shell. The conch shell was found in the very first pages of the novel by Ralph. After he found it, he decided to use it as a form of order and power on the island, almost like a form of government. Ralph’s leadership was determined when the group of boys had a meeting about who should lead them. In the novel, Piggy says, “We can use this to call others. Have a meeting. They’ll come when they hear us —” (Golding 16). From this quote, it can be shown that the shell is the main source that brings the boys together, ultimately showing the authority that the shell has and the order that it brings to the civilization of the boys. However, when Jack and Ralph begin to clash heads it slowly bring the power and authority of the shell to an end. “You haven’t got it with you,” said Jack, sneering. “You left it behind. See, clever? And the conch doesn’t count at this end of the island—” (Golding 150). From this quote, one could tell that the conch shell is losing its authority and order that it brings to the island. Not only that, but the shell also portrays how the island is no longer
As the boys time on the island goes on the conch slowly becomes of less and less valuable. When the boys first start to make a fire on top of the mountain, Piggy takes the conch and tries to speak, shortly after Jack interrupts him. Jack stops him by saying," The conch doesn’t count on top of the mountain" Said Jack," So you shut up" (Golding42). He starts disrespecting the boys and the conch. Jack sees all the weaknesses in Ralph’s way of order. When the boys no longer respect the conch everything takes a turn "the conch had been two of the few representations of civilization and common sense on the island " (Saidi,Hasan). Without the conch there are no rules and no way of order. “Jack was the first to make himself heard. He had not got the conch and thus spoke against the rules; but nobody minded” (Golding 87). The conch fades and the slowly fading of the conch represents the slowly fading of the peace and agreement of the boys. "[Ralph] took the conch down from the tree and examined the surface. Exposure to the air had bleached the yellow and pink to a near-white transparen...
The conch is first discovered on the beach by Piggy and Ralph, and it is used to summon all of the children together on the island. Also, the conch helps to create order within their meetings, and the only person who could speak would be the one to hold the conch. However, as civilization on the island starts to become lost, the conch shell starts to lose its power and influence. As Jack gains more power, he begins to destruct the boy’s civilization, and become savage. This is portrayed when Roger rolls a stone, ultimately killing Piggy and shattering the conch shell, an important representation of civilization. Once again, high power within a civilization can eventually end up depriving a fragile
In his novel Lord of the Flies, William Golding presents a conch shell representing the order of civilization. He uses this symbol to effectively portray the theme that humans are inherently evil and have savage desires, shown through the decline from discipline and peace among the boys on the deserted island. In the novel, civilization directly correlates to the boys’ past lives in England. Before coming to the island, there were adults present who maintained order by enforcing rules and punishing those who did not follow them. However on the island, the conch, representing this society, is a powerful object that demands the respect of the boys in a similar way that the adults do.
The conch shell symbolizes the law and order among the children who trapped in the deserted tropical island. It is used to call the groups of the boys to assembly in a certain place. Ralph, the chief and the central leadership of the group is responsible to take care the conch. The conch shell represents the authority which the boys must obey. The conch is an instrument like a trumpet blowing to order the boys. Finally, the conch shell is broken down into pieces and the leadership is torn down and abandoned. The atmosphere of the island society collapses into chaos and no longer peace remind.
Many symbols in Lord of the Flies link the reader to the story and offer a great connection to the plot. In the story, the conch serves as a symbol of order and respect. Ralph shows an understanding of this when he proclaims that the holder of the shell shall
Ralph and Piggy’s sense of responsibility and maturity initially brings to the island a voice for everyone, calling for a brotherhood among the boys in order to survive and eventually be rescued. Early on the novel reads “There was a stillness about Ralph's as he sat that marked him out: there was his size and attractive appearance; and most securely, yet most powerful there was the conch.” (Golding Pg. 22). This quote describes the presence Ralph promoted on the island early on in their adventure. He encouraged equal say amongst the boys through the conch. In order to speak, one had to have possession of the symbolic shell. The shell representing the Parliamentary government in which they had left at home. Furthermore, Piggy, gaining an influential voice through Ralph, shouts his concern to the immature reckless boys “The first thing we ought to have made was shelters down there by the beach... Then when you get here you build a bonfire that isn’t no use. Now you been and set the whole island on fire.” (Golding pg. 47). Like Ralph, Piggy’s responsibility and ability to plan for the future contradicts the actions of the boys, which in turn is the main reason for the separation between Jack and Ralph. Ralph and Piggy strive for a civilized way of life, yet find Jack leading an indirect revolt against any attempt to maintain order. Ralph and Piggy represent the good, civilized world in which they
“Ralph had stopped smiling and was pointing into the lagoon. Something creamy lay among the ferny weeds.” This is the exact moment that the conch shell is found and everything changed for the boys on the island. The conch shell in the Lord of the Flies by William Golding has the talent to symbolize power and civilization through its authority on the island. This is meaningful because it shows how people who have lost civilization will try to find anything to represent it.
When Ralph finds a conch shell and uses it to call the boys from all over the island, they come running. The conch is a very powerful tool. When the boys have settled the conch is used to control the boys and to create an order on the island. A rule is set out by Ralph using the conch, "Whoever has the conch has got the right to talk". This shows the conch's power and Ralph's leaderhsip.