Conch Symbolism In Lord Of The Flies

¨Maybe there is a beast...maybe it 's only us¨. This quote was written by William Golding, the author of Lord of the Flies. This quote connects to the symbolism developed throughout the book Lord of the Flies because through the story the characters learn the beast is themselves all along. This connects to the symbolism of the conch because the conch is part of what makes the boys become the ¨beasts¨. In Lord of the Flies one major symbol is the conch. The conch is a shell that Piggy and Ralph, two of the main characters, find in the beginning of the story. The conch has more than one symbolic meaning to it which helps the reader to better understand the theme of power, civilization, and rules.
In the story the author uses the conch as a symbol

The final symbol the conch symbolizes is rules within the boys civilization. The rules of the conch were created to keep all the boys united and in line. They are not very hard rules but they are enforced all the time. Rules include tending the fire and only talking when you have the conch in hand. One example that shows this is when the author wrote ¨Ralph smiled and held up the conch for silence.¨(Golding 23). This is an example of the rules the conch symbolizes because, when Ralph holds the conch up they all know they need to be quiet and do as he says. Another example that shows the conchs rules is when the author writes ¨He held the conch before his face and glanced around the mouth. ´Then i 'll give him the conch.´ ´Conch?´ ´That 's what this shells called. I 'll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he 's speaking.´….´We´ll have rules!´ he cried excitedly. ´Lots of rules! Then when anyone breaks em-´¨(Golding 33). This is an example of how the conch symbolizes the rules within the boys society because the conch is what tells when the boys when they can talk. The rules created by the conch is what led to a lot of the boys disagreements which slowly drove them to become¨beasts¨.
Overall the conch is the most symbolic piece in Lord of the Flies because it symbolizes the boys rules, their civilization, and power over the boys. This is important to the theme of the story because the conch helps the boys realize that they are the beast all along. The conch helps the boys to notice this because when it breaks they realize it was controlling them all along and making them the