Conch Lord Of The Flies Quote Analysis

An allegory is defined, in Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, as a story in which the characters and events are symbols that stand for truths in human life. With that in mind, you can better understand William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies. This fictional story can be viewed as one big allegory, where almost everything and everyone seem to represent and have a deeper meaning. Like the island the boys get stranded on represents the whole world, all the characters and objects on that island are used to convey Golding’s social, political, religious and psychological ideas and themes.

A prime example of symbolism is the conch shell, which is one of the most allegorical items throughout this whole novel. The conch is introduced in the beginning

The being that had blown that, had sat waiting for them on the platform with the delicate thing balanced on his knees, was set apart” (Golding 22). This quote reveals the strength of the conch, granting leadership to Ralph and allowing him to become the chief of the boys. Like a teacher in a classroom, the conch symbolizes authority in the boys’ society, setting rules, establishing discipline and maintaining peace and order. Later in the book, Roger pushes a boulder onto Piggy and the conch: "The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded into a thousand white

For example, in the beginning of the book while establishing the roles of the kids on the island, Jack says, “’We've got to have rules and obey them. After all, we're not savages. We're English, and the English are best at everything’” (Golding 42). In this sentence, Jack is trying to justify not only to the boys but to himself the importance of order and relates it to being ‘English’, as to say that the English society is the ‘best’ at being prim and proper. Yet later, as Jack gets a taste of power, his appetite for it becomes insatiable and his belief in civility is lost, thus losing himself to his animal instincts and violent impulses. This civilization versus savagery conflict is explored throughout the entire novel and shows how the moral code influences and tests each of the characters. Towards the end of the book, while Roger and Jack create plans to kill Ralph, Jack questions, “’What could they do? Beat him? So what? Kill him? A stick sharpened at both ends…’” (Golding 198). At this point, Jack has lost all signs of humanity and has become a cruel, blood thirsty hunter. He has also lost all value of human life and sees Ralph as another animal to slaughter, suggesting that Roger “sharpen[s] a stick at both ends” in order to kill and impale Ralph like they did the pig. But instead, in an attempt to hunt Ralph,