How Does The Conch Shell Use The Power In Lord Of The Flies

On the surface, The Lord of the Flies seems as if it is just a common adventure story about the struggles of a group of young boys. However, if you look closer you will realize it is a complex story about power and the power of symbols. The plethora of unspoken symbols and the impressive use of power in The Lord of the Flies transforms the novel into much more than just a favorable story.
The Lord of the Flies is a legend in the world of literature, and the novel’s fascinating use of symbols allowed it to become this way. In the novel there are two main symbols that wield the most power and are the most influential on the characters. These two symbols are the conch shell and the sow’s head. On many occasions, not only do these objects have a certain power of their own, but characters in the novel use them to obtain power for themselves.
The conch shell is a very influential symbol and in the novel, and it possesses a considerable amount of power. The conch’s power changes the way characters act and view things in a positive way, and often Jack and Ralph use this power to control the other

While the conch is positive and keeps everything calm and collected, the sow’s head does the opposite. It represents the worst of human nature and fear. When the sow’s head says “Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill!” (143) to Simon in his hallucination, it is implying that the real beast is the evil inside of the boys, which is represented by the sow’s head. An example of how the sow’s head represents fear is when it says “What are you doing out here all alone? Aren’t you afraid of me?” (143) This shows two things. One is that it is human nature to have fear and to cower because of it. The other is that the sow’s head is saying the boys should fear the evil inside of