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Lord of the flies character theory essay
Analysis of Lord of the Flies
Analysis of Lord of the Flies
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Sometimes, even the most minor and insignificant objects can have the most profound impact on people’s life such as life-saving pagers on doctors or something even as tiny as the timer to bake the perfect carrot cake. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, this proves true with the conch and the boys’ lives on the island, as they devolve into savage beings. The physical deterioration of the conch symbolizes the loss of humanity within the characters of the novel; it starts off shining with pink and yellow, then dulls with the sun’s rays, and ultimately shatters towards the end, implying to the reader that the conch hides as a symbol in the uncovering of the boys’ savage and evil action, a devolving action Golding suggests happens when man …show more content…
The conch shatters with Piggy, the only rational thinker on the island, leaving no hope for the boys to become humane or to return to their civilized “English” ways. Ralph views this horrific event as “The rock [strikes] Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch [explodes] into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist” in awe while Jack feels triumphant in his success of killing (Golding 181). Piggy was known to be the most rational thinker and when the conch dies with him, thinking as well as law and order dies as well. This leaves the boys with no rule and abandons them to turn towards their inherent evil, confirming Golding’s view on humanity. When the conch “dies” it leaves no trace of rational thinking, as Piggy dies as well, and leaves Ralph to rely on his primal instincts. The absence of the conch symbolizes the end of the boys’ chance to go back into the real world and shows that they cross the line of innocence and can’t go back to face others the same way. Golding describes the setting, “There was no solemn assembly for debate nor dignity of the conch” to keep the boy’s together (Golding 196). Since the conch wasn’t there, Ralph wasn’t able to make key decisions, to defend himself from Jack killing him. This leads him to realize the importance of it and how the conch had led them where they were now. The conch shattering reflects the last blow the boys receive before they turn savage and lose all rational thinking. Once the conch is put in too much stress and tension it shatters paralleling the boys and how they quickly snap and devolve into animal-like beings, agreeing with Golding belief on
William Golding communicates the idea through Ralph that all the order and goodness of the island is gone when the Conch breaks and how the rest of the boys turned into savages. Golding shows in the novel that, “Samneric were savages like the rest; Piggy was dead, and the conch smashed to powder.” This quote it demonstrates how the other boys took everything from Ralph who was the only person still somewhat civilized. The rest of the boys just follow and let the evil inside consume them. The other boys broke the conch to show how they turned on the only person not evil. The conch broke because they forgot how authority works and the do not listen to anybody and more. Samneric turned to evil also and the only person that wasn’t changed was
Ralph is losing control of Jack and the Conch is loosing its effect on the other
Everybody respected the conch and what it stood for. There was a point in the book where Jack “laid the conch with great care in the grass at his feet,” (Page 127). Jack could have thrown the conch on the ground, but instead he laid it down with great care showing that although he may not want to follow all of the rules, he still respects all of the rules that have been put into place. The conch shell represents the idea that a civilization is able to and most likely in the end will fail, if everybody in the civilization is working together. Towards the end of the book, the conch shell shatters. In the scene, “the rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist,” (Page 181). The rock falling off of the cliff and shattering the conch closely represents every small insignificant issue within their civilization. Essentially, the kids morphed the tiny issues into huge issues which eventually tore their civilization
Soon after Ralph discovers the conch, it becomes a symbol of unity and collectivity, because it is used to gather any survivors for an assembly. The assembly itself at the beginning of the novel shows that the children still have the civil codes and rules of society engraved within them. This means that the boys were at that time, behaving within the acceptable boundaries of society. However, the fact that they are still boys imply that the civil codes have not yet been fully engraved and developed inside them. During the first assembly, ‘it seems to [Ralph] that [they] ought to have a chief to decide things.’ Even though this is a sensible idea, there is st...
Golding uses the conch shell, which Ralph and Piggy find, to demonstrate a source of leadership and order within the civilization. As the conch becomes a source of authority and assembly, it “becomes no less than the basic challenge to the Tribe to choose between democracy and anarchy, civilization and savagery” (Gregor). As order decreases within the civilization the boys are forced to choose between Ralph, who symbolizes order, and Jack, who symbolizes savagery and chaos. The boys quickly join forces with Jack, which is their first step of their decline into savagery. One of their final falls into savagery was when Roger rolled the boulder into Piggy and “the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist” (Golding 181). By the conch breaking, order on the island was completely gone and the physical violence began to increase as chaos started to occur. In Kathleen Woodward’s article, “On Aggression: William Golding’s Lord of the Flies,” Woodward says that “children require strict supervision and constant discipline, for without these, they pose a serious threat to the adult world” (Woodward). As the rules for the adult world were made to keep order so were the rules and tasks that Ralph had assigned. Rules are cru...
The conch was the only thing that held the boys with a moral glue that they knew what their limit was. Golding states the power the conch once had with the boys, "Conch! Conch!" shouted Jack. "We don’t need the conch any more.
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...
...e rock strikes Piggy it also crushes the conch shell. Until that point, the conch and Piggy had been only a few of the only symbols to represent civilization and practicality on the island. Nevertheless, when the rock extinguishes both Piggy and the conch, all existing order on the island is diminished as well.
In Conclusion Golding displayed through symbols the power shift from structure to savagery. From start being civilized and structured as the conch held power. To the middle when power shifts from conch to sow’s head. Finally the end showing how the English school boys transformed into full savages and full power to the sow’s head.
Symbols: we see them on the street, on the walls, and in our homes, plastered on backpacks, jackets, and even fast food receipts. From the generic images that guide us through our daily lives to the shapes we see on television screens, these symbols are everywhere—and their importance as guides that tell us how to live, what to do and whom to believe is undeniable. Of all of these symbols, perhaps some of the most important are the symbols found in literature. In using simplistic symbols to represent profound ideas, authors construct a kind of “key”: one that allows readers to look past the surface of a story and reflect on the deeper messages beneath. Such is the nature of the symbols found in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. As a group of boys stranded on an island struggle to survive without adult supervision to maintain order, Golding uses a variety of objects to convey their descent from civilization into brutality, violence, and savagery. Of these objects, three hold particular significance. In Lord of the Flies, Golding uses the conch, the signal fire, and the Lord of the Flies to symbolize civilization, hope for rescue, and inner evil while conveying an overall theme of innate human evil.
In the end, they are being rescued, but too much is lost. Their innocence is forever lost along with the lives of Simon, a peaceful boy, and an intelligent boy, Piggy. Throughout the novel, Golding uses symbolism and characterization to show that savagery and evil are a direct effect of fear. Initially, the boys carried on about in a civilized, systematic and fearless manner when first landing on the island. Ralph has just blown the conch and some small children responded to the sound by gathering at the source of the sound.
This conch is the only connection to the order and rules of the boys’ past lives, as there is no other influence on them in the isolated natural state of the island. Golding’s readers are able to see the boys’ return to their innate savagery as they increasingly reject all that the conch represents. When the shell finally ceases to exist, cruel savagery and terrorizing fear take over the island. Their inherently savage selves are finally
The conch the children find in the beginning of the novel is a representation of civilization and power and is used to summon the boys together and to keep order in meetings. Any of the structure and reason that is left is shattered as the voice of reason,
The official power of the conch shell has finally been destroyed and everything is lost as well as Ralph’s true friend Piggy. The conch shell’s social order, symbolism and power have been destroyed by Jack’s tribe which can only lead to chaos in the future. Only Ralph remains; powerless and despondent without the precious shell that he cherished as chief. The island, set fire by Jack’s tribe, leaves Ralph to escape alone among the smoke. Since the decadence of the conch the island, as predicted has fallen apart with absolutely no social order, leadership, civilization and power to keep the boys alive and in order which really shows the true importance of the conch shell.
Piggy, a member of the group, prioritized order throughout the children, becoming the voice of reason and logic. The order implemented by Piggy was aided by the use of a conch, so he could get the attention the rest of the group using it. Throughout the book, the conch became a struggle for power due to however having it being the voice of reason. This became a predicament due to leaders wanting it and having the hunger to claim power. Towards the end of the novel, the “society” created by the children is broken.