Conch Symbolism In Lord Of The Flies

The Lord of the Flies Essay Humans, by nature, are unique and hold many qualities. Whether those qualities are for the good of others, or for their own desires, all humans have a base instinct to survive. William Golding’s novel “The Lord of the Flies” strikes at human nature on a deeper level. It tackles the thought of civilization turning savage and the novel lays bare some of the worst, and some of the good, qualities that every being possesses. A talent the Golding shows in “The Lord of the Flies” is his knowledge and ability to use symbolism. Some of the most important symbols in the novel are represented by simple objects such as the Conch, the Sow, a Fire, and a Beast. The conch shell found by the protagonists, Ralph and Piggy, becomes a major symbol throughout the novel. The conch is used to call meetings, and to gain the attention of the all the characters. From the very beginning, the shell was seen as a means to hold authority over the others. Although when the novel drew near its end, the shell lost that idea of authority and order because the authority changed over to the antagonist, Jack, as he slowly dissolved the order that

At first, most of the children deny its existence, however the big children, including Ralph and Jack eventually think that this beast truly exists. Although most of the characters are convinced that the beast exists, one little child, named Simon, makes a simple statement that quickly silences the others, “What I mean is...maybe it’s only us.” There is evidence of this, such as when a parachuter had tried to come to help, ended up dying, and the children thinking the parachuter was the beast. However, when little Simon climbed the mountain in daylight to see the ‘beast’, he realized what it was and tries to tell the others. Unfortunately the children projected their fear of the beast onto Simon, and in their fear, took his