Symbol Essay Lord of the Flies
The Conch and Civilization
The conch in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies is a symbol of civilization. Both the conch and civilization are fragile, vital, and extremely intricate. At first, the conch is respected, but throughout the course of the novel it slowly loses its value. Eventually, the conch is smashed to pieces along with civilization.
In the beginning of Lord of the Flies, the conch is valued by all of the boys because civilization is still fresh in their minds. For instance, when the conch is found, Piggy says, “’We can use this to call the others. Have a meeting. They’ll come when they hear us−“’ (Golding 16). Piggy suggests using the conch to call a meeting because he wants everyone to be together, and form a civilization. Everyone obeys the conch without question because everyone obeys authority figures in the real world without question. The conch is related to civilization, for when the conch is sounded, the boys gather together. Another example is when Ralph makes the rules for the island, and he says, “’Then I’ll give him the conch.’ ‘Conch?’ ‘That’s what this shell’s called. I’ll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he’s speaking”’ (Golding 33). The idea that the person with the conch is the only person speaking is proof that the conch is a symbol of civilization. This is because as civilization is still fresh in the boys’ minds, the boys’ still respect the conch as if it is a grownup. The boys would not disrespect a grownup in civilization, so they dare not disrespect the conch.
Throughout the course of the novel, the boys start to disrespect the conch because civilization is drifting away. For example, when Jack takes the conch from Piggy, Ralph cries, “’Jack! Jack! You haven’t got the conch! …. The rules!’ shouted Ralph. ‘Youre breaking the rules!’ [Jack] ‘Who cares...Bollocks to the rules! We’re strong—we hunt! If there’s a beast, we’ll hunt it down! We’ll close in and beat and beat and beat—!’ (Golding
The conch in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies is a symbol of civilization. Both the conch and civilization are fragile, vital, and extremely intricate. At first, the conch is respected, but throughout the course of the novel it slowly loses its value. Eventually, the conch is smashed to pieces along with civilization.
In the beginning of Lord of the Flies, the conch is valued by all of the boys because civilization is still fresh in their minds. For instance, when the conch is found, Piggy says, “’We can use this to call the others. Have a meeting. They’ll come when they hear us−“’ (Golding 16). Piggy suggests using the conch to call a meeting because he wants everyone to be together, and form a civilization. Everyone obeys the conch without question because everyone obeys authority figures in the real world without question. The conch is related to civilization, for when the conch is sounded, the boys gather together. Another example is when Ralph makes the rules for the island, and he says, “’Then I’ll give him the conch.’ ‘Conch?’ ‘That’s what this shell’s called. I’ll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he’s speaking”’ (Golding 33). The idea that the person with the conch is the only person speaking is proof that the conch is a symbol of civilization. This is because as civilization is still fresh in the boys’ minds, the boys’ still respect the conch as if it is a grownup. The boys would not disrespect a grownup in civilization, so they dare not disrespect the conch.
Throughout the course of the novel, the boys start to disrespect the conch because civilization is drifting away. For example, when Jack takes the conch from Piggy, Ralph cries, “’Jack! Jack! You haven’t got the conch! …. The rules!’ shouted Ralph. ‘Youre breaking the rules!’ [Jack] ‘Who cares...Bollocks to the rules! We’re strong—we hunt! If there’s a beast, we’ll hunt it down! We’ll close in and beat and beat and beat—!’ (Golding