Conch In Lord Of The Flies Symbolism Essay

Symbolism in Lord of the Flies Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, is a classic novel, awarded with the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1983. The novel’s use of symbolism demonstrates that without order and law, people will revert to natural human behaviors to satisfy their instincts. This is shown in the development of the conch which symbolises order, Piggy's specs which symbolises intelligence, and the beast which symbolises the savagery within the boys. Furthermore, the symbolism in the novel is important as it indicates the tragic downfall of order and the growth of savagery on the island. The conch is a symbol of order on the island, but it’s influence on the boys diminishes, showing the strength of their savage instincts. It is first
This is shown when the boy’s vote for a chief who will make the choices on the island. Furthermore, the order is enforced because the boys also understand that the person in possession of the conch will speak. As time progresses, the boys lose sense in their priorities as they are not building shelter and time is being wasted rolling rocks. In addition, the hunters, such as Jack, are finding that hunting is more important than the smoke signal. Ralph notices the order falling apart and uses the conch to call an assembly, attempting to restore the rules. At this point, “exposure to the air [has] bleached the yellow and pink [conch] to near white, and transparency” (78). The order on the island is fading similarly to the colour of the conch. The boys continue to obey the sound of the conch and participate in the decision making, but nothing is done. Near the end of the novel, most of the boys have lost hope in rescue. The conch has lost meaning as the boys refuse to follow the rules. In an attempt to restore order, Piggy’s last words were, “which is better - to have rules and agree, or to hunt and kill?” (180). This question is answered by Roger as he releases a rock that
As time passes on the island, the beast shows the savagery within the boys by manifesting in their fears. At the beginning, the boys arrive on the beautiful tropical island, ecstatic about the lack of adult supervision. They gather in assemblies while using the conch to make decisions together such as hunting, making shelter, and making a signal fire. The beast is first mentioned by a little one with a birthmark who says he saw “a snake-thing. Ever so big” (35). Ralph attempts to convince the littluns that the beast is imaginary, but among the littluns, there is still doubt on the reality of the beast. The littluns are beginning to be frightened of the island’s unknown as it does not provide the comforts of home. Their imaginations exaggerate their greatest fears and it comes in the form of a beast. When time prolongs, the littluns start assuming the origin of the beast. During this conversation, Simon suggests, “maybe it’s only us” (89), because he realizes that the beast is created from fear. When the littluns speculate more about the beast, it becomes more detailed as it slowly progresses into a fearful creature in their minds. The beast starts to terrorize the boys, which is shown because it is a common assembly discussion between them. In addition, it also starts to affect the sleep patterns of the littluns. Eventually, Sam and Eric witness a dead pilot, which is seen as a beast due