Lincoln Nguyen Pre - AP English 9 Brua Hour 6 April 18th, 2024 Lord of the Flies Essay Everywhere in the world there’s a government or a sort of system that keeps society going that holds different rules and consequences for example, in the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, a group of boys get deserted on the island after their plane crashed, Ralph the main character is elected as the leader, but as a leader, Ralph must find ways to keep balance upon the island members, but how? Golding uses the conch to represent authority held within the shell, which shows that without proper respect towards someone or something, it will result in a dwindling level of order. There are many reasons why the conch holds authority. One example …show more content…
He can hold it when he's speaking. ‘And he won't be interrupted. Except by me’’“ (33). Golding uses listing to state the rules to the boys, saying how the person who has the conch is the only one allowed to speak and can only be interrupted by Ralph himself. When listing it creates a mood of seriousness and evinces that the conch is an item that holds authority since there are set rules that he listed. The boy’s respect is shown when they give the conch it’s power. In another instance, Ralph intended to blow the conch to get everyone’s attention but instead held it up, which was enough to attract all the boy’s eyes, which shows the true uniting power of the conch. It reads, “Ralph took the conch from where it lay on the polished seat and held it to his lips; but then he hesitated and did not blow. He held the shell up instead and showed it to them and they understood.” (99). Golding describes how Ralph is using the conch as a social tool to call a meeting, he planned to blow it to get their attention but instead held it up. When he held it up, it grabbed their eyes and everyone knew what was going down, Ralph used the conch as an item to call the meeting, therefore showing that the shell held the authority and power to call