Conch In Lord Of The Flies

The Conch, Piggy’s glasses and Jack in the novel Lord of the Flies In the novel Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses several symbols to represent the transition of the characters from morally acceptable members of a society, into a more savage state of mind. The story reveals that only two boys remain connected to the moral codes of civilization and how the rest quickly turn and follow a leader, even though he was absent of goodness, which should be inherent to all people. So what are we human, animal, or savages? The conch shell is a symbol that shows the boys still have some form of authority, without it there would be anarchy. Piggy’s glasses are what is used to start the signal fire in the novel and a sense of civilization. Jack is

When the other boys hear the conch, they gather” (Novel for Students 176-177). This critic is stating that even though the boys are stranded on an island they can still work together to survive. The novel states, “They obeyed the summons of the conch, partly because Ralph blew it, and he was big enough to be a link with the adult world of authority…” (Golding 59). This quote shows that the boys on the island saw the conch as a sign of authority and the meaning of being civilized. The conch shell also is a major symbol of power and respect in the novel. Novel for student’s state; “The conch becomes a symbol of authority: whoever has the conch has the right to speak” (Novel for Students 176-177). This shows that whoever has the conch has the right to speak and has the power over the boys as well as the person who had it in hand. Golding writes,” I got the conch…” (Golding 43) showing how each boy starting to talk whenever they had the shell. In the novel the conch starts to change from a strong symbol of authority and power to just an object that only a couple of the boys still respected and followed.” They forget about the conch and the system of rules they have just made” (Novel for students 176-177). This critic is saying that the conch was just forgotten as a symbol of civility and the boys began to move toward a more savage state of