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Conch Shell In Lord Of The Flies

715 Words3 Pages

The Lord of the Flies is a book filled with symbols, and the sow’s head and the conch shell are the main ones. These items are powerful symbols, but they each represent different kinds of power that are used in entirely different ways. Jack, who uses the sow’s head to instill fear and suppression over the younger boys, wields the head for a controlling type of power. Ralph, who employs the conch shell to bring all of the boys together as a united group, uses it in an orderly, leadership type of power. The two items’ symbolic meaning all depends on the users. The Lord of the Flies is ultimately a novel about power and how humans yearn to have the ultimate supremacy. One of the first things discovered on the island is the conch shell. Ralph finds it at the bottom of a lagoon, and it is a very valuable object. With the shell, Ralph is able to call all of the other boys to him. When the schoolboys hear the shell and realize what is happening, they answer the call of the conch and flock to Ralph. Ralph is seen as a powerful, important person, and they want him to be their leader. “Let him be chief with the trumpet thing,” (Golding 22). In this case, the conch shell is used as a symbol of authority and leadership. Ralph unites the boys into one group so they can discuss further life on the island. The conch …show more content…

The conch shell and the sow’s head are two of the biggest ones, because they give impeccable power to their users. The yearning for power is one of the biggest struggles of humanity, and it is portrayed perfectly in this book. Usually, the power comes from a specific source, in this case, it’s the sow’s head and the conch shell. Their users, two extremely different people, control the other boys on the island and use the power either for good or for bad. Ralph wants to unite the boys, while Jack wants to control the boys with fear. The symbolism and representation of the two objects mean all the

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