Conch Symbolism Essay

Ordinary objects can sybolize ideas and express meaning to a reader. William Golding uses a conch as the main symbol of civilization, organization, and a democracy-like process. A group of boys are plane wrecked on an island during WWII and throughout the book struggle to survive without adult influence. The main character Ralph tries to lead and attempt to get rescued while the antagonist, Jack, focuses on hunting in the novel. The boys on the island struggle to build a civilization while keeping the peace, gathering food, and trying to be rescued. The hardship of building civilization is expressed through the literary device of symbolism in Golding's novel. There is the hardship of building a civilization in the novel Lord of the Flies.

The conch is a symbol of civilization, organization, and shared leadership. When Ralph first lands on the island, he picks up the conch and it is then used to indicate the speaker during the assemblies on the island. Ralph says after everyone tries to speak over each other at the first meeting, “We can’t have everybody talking at once. We’ll have to have ‘Hands up’ like at school.” . . . “Then I’ll give him the conch… He can hold it when he’s speaking” (Golding 33). This democracy-like strategy is crucial to a working civilization. Nothing would get done if the conch was not showing who could be speaking and who shouldn't be speaking. As Ralph made the rule of the conch, it also symbolizes his authorized ruling because he made a rule that benefited the group. When Piggy and Ralph confront Jack and his group, Roger is above them rolling boulders down in an attempt to hit them. As one of the boulders hits Piggy, the author states, “The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist” (Golding 181). Piggy is killed and the conch is gone with him. This symbolizes the end of order within the group. The boys had slowly been drifting away from sense and peace but after Piggy's murder, everything fell apart fully. There was no conch to bring the boys together anymore and it was the end of Ralphs's