What Does The Conch Shell Represent In Lord Of The Flies

Lord of the Flies is a complicated, yet well written book by William Golding. Lord of the Flies concerns a group of young boys who got stranded on a deserted island when their plane crashed. They face conflicts that prevent their plan to get rescued and they must overcome them. Along their path to getting rescued, we as the audience are introduced to symbols that build the story and the characters. The book is carefully written to include symbolism in practically every page. The symbolism is so heavy that in order to fully comprehend the novel you must understand what the symbols represent. The symbols that tied the book together included the conch, spectacles, knife, smoke, face paint/long hair, and the beast. When these symbols are intertwined,

the story as well as the characters are completed.
The first character we are introduced to is a boy named Ralph. Shortly after the plane crashed we are introduced to a thirteen year old boy with fair hair along with a skinny body that “glows”.

Our first impression of him is that he is a confident and carefree teenager, and we later learn that he is a natural leader. The conch shell, or Ralphs symbol, is first distinguished in Chapter One. The conch shell is an extremely significant object in the story and represents many things such as authority and power. Throughout the story we see many examples of the conch resolving problems and creating new ones. The first action we see including the conch is also in chapter one. On page 23 it states, “ But there was a stillness about Ralph as he sat that marked him out: there was his size, and attractive appearance; and most obscurely, yet most powerfully, there was the conch,” (Golding 23). The conch is presenting the vision for a new civilization which is shown through Ralph. Through this statement we also see how important the conch is to Ralph. It helps Ralph keep his name as chief and reserve his authority. We also witness the conch shell granting people too much power in chapter 10 when they comment, “‘What we going

to do?’ Piggy nodded at the conch… ‘I got the conch’” (Golding 218-219). This signifies how the conch was the base of the boys rules and civilization. It also illustrates the importance of the conch to Piggy as well. It shows that Piggy is looked down on as a person, and with the conch he is heard. Piggy also feels superior with the conch in chapter 11 when they state, “Piggy held up the conch and the booing sagged a little, then came up again to strength. ‘I got the conch!’ He shouted. ‘I tell you, I got the conch!’. Surprisingly, there was a silence now…”(Golding, 254). Without the conch Piggy felt powerless, but with the conch he felt as if he was in charge and had authority. In summary, the conch is just one of the many symbols that Golding used to give a deeper meaning to the plot and characters.
Shortly after we meet Ralph we are introduced to Piggy.

Piggy is essentially the opposite of Ralph. He is described as out of shape, with severe asthma, ugly, and fairly smart. He displays the intelligent and reasonable side of things. Piggys character is supported by his symbol which are his spectacles. His spectacles or glasses represents more than his brightness, the spectacles acts as technology as well. On the island there’s hardly enough for them to survive, with the spectacles they have the advantage to make fire, and send an SOS. The spectacles, as well as the other symbols, share a separate story within the novel. The specs are used various times throughout the book, but one of the most memorable times was on the mountain top in chapter two. In chapter two it mentions, “‘His specs---use them as burning glasses!’’(Golding 50). Through this statement the readers can confirm that Piggy’s specs are there only way back to society. Jacks rude behavior towards Piggy caused trouble throughout the novel, even though he desired the spectacles. In chapter 4, we see an example of this when the novel read, “Ralph made a step forward and Jack smacked Piggy’s head. Piggy’s glasses flew off and tinkled on the rocks. Piggy cried out cried out in terror: ‘My specs!’” (Golding 94). It has become clear by this point that the spectacles mean something to everyone, but for different reasons. Ralph as well as Piggy needs his specs for survival, while Jack’s priorities was to have the

advantage of technology. Adding along to the separate story, new conflicts have developed in result of the specs. The conflict broke out in chapter 10 when the novel claimed, “Ralph trotted down the pale beach and jumped on to the platform. The conch still glimmered by the chief’s seat. He gazed for a moment or two, then went back to Piggy. ‘They didn’t take the conch.’ ‘I know. They didn’t come for the conch. They came for something else. Ralph---what am I going to do?’” (Golding 235). It’s obvious that Jack was physically attacking Piggy and Ralph in result of gaining the benefits of the specs. Eventually Jack steals the specs and Piggy alternates into a new character. Throughout the book we see Piggy get made fun of and ignored numerous times, but near the end of the novel Piggy shows another side of himself. Viewed in chapter