Conch In Lord Of The Flies

Humans have created civilizations that value law and order; however, this value disintegrates when humans are freed from the constraints of society. In the novel, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, a devastating plane crash occurs, leaving a group of British schoolboys stranded on an island. They are displaced from the boundaries of civilization, leading to utter chaos as their inner savage natures are revealed. Golding uses the development of the characters Roger and Jack, the symbolism of the conch, and the shift in the appearance of the boys to illustrate mankind’s regression to inherent savagery.
The regression into savagery is first depicted through Roger, whose violent behavior magnifies throughout the course of the novel. At the start

Early in the novel, the conch is the embodiment of civil, orderly behavior, and it is highly valued. When Ralph initially discovers the conch, Piggy bubbles with excitement, exclaiming that it is “ever so valuable” (9). Ralph decides that possession of conch will determine who is able speak during the meetings, and Jack exclaims excitedly that “We’ll have rules!” (15). The boys at first place high importance on having an orderly society; they have the intention of recreating the orderly society they were once a part of. However, in the end, it is only a “failure of the boys to create a stable system and a lawful order” (Anjum). In one instance, Jack shouts, “We don’t need the conch any more!” (89). He no longer views the conch as significant, and does not think it is necessary for the tribe to determine who is allowed to talk. He denies the civil, orderly nature of his past life, and he regresses into savage ways. This further decline into savagery is noted when Jack announces that “the conch doesn’t count on this end of the island” (134) when Ralph tries to use the conch to claim power. At this point, Jack does not even recognize the conch as a source of authority any longer. He has fallen so far into his savage ways that the conch has no meaning to him whatsoever. It no longer “counts”. In the end, when Piggy is hit by a boulder by Roger, the conch he is holding “[explodes] into a thousand white fragments and [ceases] to exist” (163). The boys’ are now in complete submission to their inhumane nature. Not only is the conch gone, but also the order and civilized nature that accompanied it. “The conch is inadequate and powerless confronted with violence” (Michel-Michot). The depravity and darkness of mankind in the end are able to overcome the order the conch was attempting to