Conch

Generally authors provide many literary techniques in order to help the reader fully understand their writing. In the novel, Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses one very particular symbol to represent society, the conch. As the novel progresses the conch alters which complements what is happening throughout the novel. In the beginning of the novel, Ralph, the main protagonist who represents the average person, first picks up the conch. But Piggy, another protagonist who represents intelligence, was the first to recognize it. “Something creamy lay among the ferny weeds. ‘A stone. [Ralph]’ ‘No. A shell [Piggy].’ … ‘S’right. It’s a shell! I seen one like that before. [Piggy]’ … The shell was interesting and pretty and a worthy plaything…” Notice how it is the intelligent one that notices what the conch is, yet the average person shrugs it off. This signifies the obvious disconnect between people who are aware of society are typically more
A clear example of this is when Ralph, Samneric, and Piggy, confronts Jack and his tribe, “The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist. (181)” This symbolically shows that not only is Piggy dead, which symbolizes intelligence, but the conch is gone too, which means that the boys are now left in total anarchy. This is very clearly shown afterwards when Jack and his tribe try to kill ralph and set the entire island on fire. “Now the fire was nearer… The fools! The fools! The fire must be almost at the fruit trees-what would they eat tomorrow? (198)”
As one can see, the conch, which symbolizes stability, order, and society slowly shifts from a strong influence on the boys to forgetting it and destroying it completely. Golding ingeniously demonstrated through symbolism, how boys on an island lose their sense of order and stability through