Discuss the symbolic significance of the conch shell and The Lord of the Flies ( the pig’s head on a stick) in William Golding’s novel. Analyze how these symbols are perceived by the boys and what they represent in terms of order, power, and the boys' descent into savagery. Use specific examples from the novel to support your analysis and explore how these symbols contribute to the overall themes and message of the story. In the Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, The Conch is a symbol in the story. While the two main characters Ralph and Piggy are on a walk, they come across a shell which Piggy identifies as a conch. Piggy says that if you blow through the conch it will make a sound, so Ralph blows into the shell which causes the other …show more content…
From then on, the conch becomes a symbol in Lord of the Flies. The conch symbolizes power in its representation of unity, order, and authority. It unifies the boys by the sound, bringing them together for meetings. It instills order by controlling who gets to speak. One significant example is when Piggy, holding the conch, tries to reason with the boys about the importance of order and civilization. However, Roger, representing the growing savagery, throws a rock, shattering the conch and symbolizing the complete breakdown of their norms and values. Another symbol within Lord of the Flies is the head of the pig. When Jack goes hunting, he is able to kill a pig. He then cuts off the head and places it on a stick, thus becoming an offering for the beast. The pig’s head represents the evil and violence that lies within the boys, it also shows the loss of innocence in the boys. When he kills the pig he is in a great triumph over outwitting another living thing. It shows that he has become a savage throughout his time on the island, with his inner evil taking over. It also shows that Jack has become more violent over
and applies this to the origin of human nature. Seeing the boys lose their innocence throughout the novel, the reader is reminded of humanity’s capacity of evil and how man made moral systems and codes are superficial. The central symbol in ‘Lord of the Flies’ is the pigs head on the stick, which represents the destruction, demoralisation and decay in humanity. The continuing motif of falling is seen in the “fall of human kind”, and the “fall of reason” as Piggy’s glasses are broken and the boys lose their
The book Lord of the Flies has changing symbolic values in objects and places. These values reflect humanity's nature to become savage. This is demonstrated by the symbols in their mirroring of the boys. In Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, the meaning of symbols evolve throughout the story with the conch standing for civilization and then the breakdown of order in society, Piggy’s specs meaning knowledge then Jack’s power, and the fire first representing hope then ultimately destruction.
My paragraphs proved that Conch is very affective symbol during the book. The Conch represents power because Ralph became the chief with the Conch and he controlled the boys and made the rules that is fair for every one so nobody would be hurt. Conch also symbolizes democracy because it was used to communicate others, and anyone who wants to speak and nobody can interrupt him. Conch shows the unity of the boys because Ralph made the boys work together with peace and making an assembly when needed. The Conch, which is just a shell that we can see at the beach, which became a very important object in the Lord of the Flies which symbolizes power, democracy, and unity.
William Golding’s, ‘Lord of the Flies’, is a powerful piece of literature that teaches important perspectives on the human nature and mind. In the story, the boys plane is shot down by the the military in which it lands on a deserted island. After this event, the boys’ decide to create a civilization on the island until they’re rescued. Golding paints a realistic image of evil, hope, and order expressed through the three items: the Lord of the Flies, the fire, and the conch during World War 2. The boys believe these items will assist them, however, they end up all tearing them apart in the end: the symbols all appear to be beneficial to the situation but eventually lead to their demise. Golding effectively uses the literary device symbolism to develop the theme in the novel that chaos and destruction can occur in the most peaceful places.
In conclusion, the novel, Lord of the Flies portrays the wicked, deteriorating life as an outcome from humanities inherent magnitude of evil, that is allowed to control individuals once all rules of society are gone. Throughout the story, William Golding utilizes several different articles as symbols to explicate the theme. A few of the objects would absolutely be insignificant in reality and doubtlessly appreciated. However, in this novel, each symbol, the best, pig’s head, Piggy’s spectacles and the rock, are all essential to The Lord of the Flies theme.
In the novel Lord of the Flies William Golding uses many forms of symbolism to point out the underlying conflicts in their society. By using these symbols he makes the reader not only think about the problems that arise in the book, but also hints towards problems in our society today. The story uses the conch, fire, and the glasses to reference other meanings in the story. These symbols play a crucial part in the story in which they provide the reader with information that isn’t directly stated but is inferred.
Imagine a group of young boys who have just crash-landed on a deserted tropical island with no adults or supervision. William Golding showed in his ground breaking novel Lord of the Flies, what may happen in just those circumstances. In his very complicated and diverse novel Golding brings out many ideas and uses many literary devices. Above all others though comes symbolism of three main important objects being the conch, fire, and "Piggy's" eyeglasses. Through each of these three symbols Golding shows how the boys adapt and change throughout the novel. These symbols also help to show each of the boy's ideals on a variety of elements from human nature to society and its controls. All three of these symbols also change and are one of the most important elements of the story.
During his search for the beast, Simon was surprised by what he found. The beast was not really a physical creature, but something very different. Simon mutters in his shock, “‘Pig’s head on a stick,” and later the beast said, “‘You knew didn’t you? I’m part of you” (Golding 143)? The pig’s head on a stick, or the Lord of the Flies, is symbolic of the evil nature within the boys. The use of a pigs head on a stick is symbolic because savage nature is what sparked Jack’s desire to brutally kill a pig, and the murdered pig later became the being which represented that same savage nature. The symbolism in the Lord of the Flies was also important in advancing the plot of the story, by teaching the reader and Simon that the “beast”, which was referred to all throughout the story, is really just the nature of the children. Another symbolic item that was important during the story was the conch. Early in the story, when the children were trying to peacefully settle into their new environment, they decided that the conch will be their alternative to raising hands. Ralph said, “‘I’ll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he’s speaking”’ (Golding 33). Golding used the conch to symbolize the boys’ connection back to society. Later in the book, when the conch was destroyed, Golding made the kids act even more savage and violent because they had lost all ties back to regular society. This symbolism showed how good human behavior is strongly connected with society. By symbolically creating a pig’s head on a stick and a conch to represent much bigger ideas in the lives of the kids, Golding helps the reader to understand his belief that without society, humans’ savage nature would be
William Golding said that his novel “Lord of the Flies was symbolic from exposition to conclusion. Golding’s symbols vary and change throughout the novel to convey a greater moral representation of the story. The boy’s learn a lot, as well does the reader. One gets a greater understanding of Golding’s integrity in the symbols he places in the novel. In “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding there is a multitude of symbols with various meanings during the novel; such as: the conch, the pig’s head/Lord of the flies, and Piggy’s spectacles.
Golding uses many symbols in the novel, Lord of the Flies, to represent good and evil in society. He uses Simon to represent the peacefulness of life and the kindness of a good heart, while Piggy represents the civilization on the island and the adult viewpoint of the children. The conch symbolizes order and also adult behavior. It is a symbol of strength and knowledge as well, as the evil of the beast represents the fear in the boys. All of these symbols change as the story goes on, some changes are less obvious and are the result of the readers new perspective while others undergo dramatic, and quite obvious, change.
Lord of the Flies is a novel that is all about symbols that have different powers which is used on the boys. Two of the symbols which are the conch and the sow’s head contain powers that are opposite of each other and they have a great affect on the boys. Lord of the Flies would be a different story without symbols. The conch has the powers that lead to civilization and order. It represents the authority that the boys will need to get rescued from the island. The sow’s head on the other hand represents the evil powers to lead the boys to total chaos and savagery which is created by Jack. Jack has used one of the sow’s head’s symbolism which is the beast to control his group. The conch has a power that is used for order and civilization, while the sow’s head has a power to control evil and savagery.
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. As time passes, the conch’s influence over the boys weakens and ultimately all forms of civilization are rejected.
A conch, a head, and a need for power. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, the sow’s head and the conch shell each hold a different power over the boys on the deserted Island. Golding’s book is a novel about leadership, loss of innocence, and power. Ralph and Piggy found the conch buried on the beach by the oceans edge, while Ralph picked on Piggy about Piggy’s asthma. When Jack was hunting with his team, the boys caught, killed, and tortured the sow.
Campbell Murphy Ms.Hill CP English 10-2 23 April 2024 The symbolic side of Lord of the Flies Throughout World War II, parents dispatched their children away to protect them from the horrors to come, and the parents presented the children with objects to solace them when in terror. Inspired by the events of World War II, William Golding created Lord of the Flies, and the main characters represent an ideal more significant than themselves. Golding applies symbolism through Ralph and the conch shell, Piggy and his glasses, and Jack with face paint. Ralph and the conch shell symbolize a balance of power and authority because of the long-lasting effect of the littles and the older boys.
The conch shell was an object that Ralph found in the lagoon and was used to call assemblies. The sow’s head is a pig’s head that was chopped off and put on to a stick for the "beast". The conch is a symbol of the powers involved with civilized leadership. In the beginning of the Lord of the Flies, the boys valued the conch and the rules that came with it. The conch serves as an object that represents the sense of public law and power.