What Does The Conch Symbolize In Lord Of The Flies

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Throughout the Lord of the Flies, the author uses many events and objects as symbolism in the story. The boys inhabit an island when their plane crashes and creates a large curator which the boys respectively call the scar. All adults are killed and there are only a few selection of boys, ages six to twelve, found on the island when the British boys arrive. A war is going on which contributes to the plot of the boys survival story because no one in the outside world is concerned about their safety or location. Through the use of symbolism, the Lord of the Flies becomes full of objects which show the reader the struggle to remain civil without civilization. The Lord of the Flies by William Golding, is rife with symbolism; some of the best symbols include the conch shell, Piggy’s glasses, and the signal fire.
One of the most notable symbols seen on the island is the conch shell. This …show more content…

As they try to figure out a way to gather all the other boys from the island, they come across, “something creamy lay among the ferry weeds”(Golding 15). A literary criticism of the novel reveals a deeper significance when it states that, “The conch, which Ralph and Piggy discover in the lagoon and use to call the children to assemblies, is not just a symbol of order”(Cox). As the conch is used to call meetings and organized the boys, it starts to symbolize order and encourages the boys to have respect and patience with each other. As this meaning changes overtime, the criticism article continues by saying, “When towards the end of the story the conch is smashed, we feel that sadness which comes when any object of exquisite beauty is broken. The symbolic meaning, that this is the end of the beauty of justice and order, is not forced upon us, but is reflected through our emotional reaction to the object itself”(Cox). Because Golding introduces the conch shell first, the reader becomes emotionally attached to the object

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