Lord Of The Flies Conch Analysis

Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a novel that demonstrates how boys will act when there is no authoritative figure. When the boys find out that there are no adults, they become very excited. As time goes by rules and order are needed, but some of the boys choose to respect the rules and others are reckless. Ralph is one of the characters that enforces rules after he realizes that they need them, and it proves how he respects rules when there are no adults; on the other hand, Jack's defiance towards rules validates how he dislikes them. The conch is a symbol for rules and order because of the way it is used at assemblies, described by the author, and destroyed; therefore, the theme the novel sends is that certain people will follow the
After the tribe decides to build a fire, Jack scurries without hesitating: "Jack clamped among them, the conch forgotten"(38). Unlike Ralph, Jack chooses to ignore the rules and orders when he disregards the conch. Jack's disobedience towards authority and how he doesn't care about rules is seen because of his recklessness. The author uses the conch as a symbol for rules and order, but Jack chooses to break the rules as time goes by in order to gain power. During an assembly, Jack yells at Ralph about him not knowing how to be a leader: " 'Who are you...You can't hunt, you can't sing-' "(91). The author’s use of syntax allows the reader to understand how Jack chooses to defy the conch rule because of the short exclamations he is making. Since he is not the chief, he wants to gain power by being reckless and overlooking the rules. Jack chooses to disregard the conch and its meaning; therefore, he does not want to have these rules and order. Another time Jack disregards rules is during the assembly the tribe has after the twins are scared by the beast. When the boys are getting ready to hunt the beast, Ralph makes a comment about speaking out loud and Jack responds without possessing the conch: " 'We don't need the conch anymore' "(102). The author uses the conch as a symbol of how Jack chooses be irresponsible when he denies the conch as the object used to speak. It substantiates how Jack dislikes rules because he ignores the rules for selfish reasons. The theme that certain people choose to defy rules is present here because of the author's use of details to describe how Jack no longer believes in rules. Jack is a rebellious character through the way he chooses to disobey the rules, and the conch’s transformation plays a significant part in the evolution of rules and