Prathik Kurella
Ms.Thomas
H Eng 2
9/25/22
“Law and Order” in Lord of the Flies
“We've got to have rules and obey them. After all, we're not savages. We're English, and the English are best at everything.”(Golding). "Lord of the Flies" is a novel about a group of young boys who find themselves alone on a barren island. They build norms and organizational systems, but in the absence of adults to serve as a civilizing impetus, the children inevitably become violent and vicious. Through the emblem of the conch shell, William Golding shows how the loss of order/civilization and law leads to the emergence of barbaric behavior triumphing over society.
The significance of the conch shell is first mentioned in the story as a symbol of law and order. In Chapter 2, Ralph blows the conch to summon the other boys back to the assembly and reports the findings of the excursion. Jack interrupts almost quickly to emphasize the need for an army for pig hunting. Ralph institutes, “‘ Another thing. 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… I’ll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he’s speaking.’” (Golding, pg. 33). Ralph makes laws that resemble the civilized world that the boys have just
…show more content…
In Chapter 8, Jack challenges Ralph’s leadership. Since the others did not agree to name him chief, Jack leaves the group and, “He [lays] the conch with great care in the grass at his feet. The humiliating tears were running from the corner of each eye. “I’m not going to play any longer. Not with you.” (Golding, pg.127). When Jack puts down the conch, it shows his rejection of the standards of law and order that the conch represents. The conch's power to keep the boys united, and connected to society and laws, is fading. The conch loses its effectiveness as a symbol of law and order in increasingly wild