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Lord of the flies characterization and symbolism
What is the effect of the conch in the lord of the flies
How does the lord of the flies symbolize civilization vs savagery
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Lord of the Flies is a book written by William Golding that has many symbolic features hidden within itself. It starts with a plane crashing into an island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. The book goes through many twists and turns, where the characters drift apart. Lord of the Flies ends with the characters of the book getting rescued while the rest of the island is burning down. Lord of the Flies includes symbols by showing them throughout the novel, whether they´re important or not.
In William Golding's novel Lord of the Flies, the reader comprehends symbols that go throughout the book. These symbols are key factors which determine the importance of the novel. The symbols are a very important part of the literary content. In order to really follow along and understand the story, the reader must understand these symbols for what they mean as well as how they are used. Some of the symbols include the conch, the island itself, and fire.
Used in this competence, the conch shell serves as the first step towards civilization and order in the novel. As the group grows more efficient, the conch summons the boys for group meetings and permits the boys to speak in an organized manner. Each boy abided by the standards enforced by the conch and “by the time Ralph finished blowing the conch, the platform was crowded.” (Golding 32) When the civilization begins to decline, the effectiveness of the conch shell starts to erode. Ralph insists that “rules are the only thing [they’ve] got” that will keep them united.
Have you ever wondered what would happen if you were stuck on an island with just a bunch of kids? Would things stay organized and civilized, or would primal instincts take over? The book Lord of the Flies by William Golding explores this idea; as the boys in the book interact, a strong symbol in a conch shell emerges. The boys start to use the shell to call meetings but, in the end, the shell is destroyed during a disagreement between the two groups that emerge on the island, the savages and Ralph's civilized group. The conch shell is an important symbol that represents authority, order, and civilization.
The conch shell is first found by Piggy and Ralph who use it to call for survivors. The shell is then established as a symbol of democracy, as found in this quote, “... I’ll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he’s speaking,” (33). Allowing each boy to speak when in possession of the conch shows that, although Ralph is chief, all boys can have a say in the rulings of the island. This democratic system is a beginning representation of our world in which everyone knows their place and there is overall peace.
In Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses items and people to symbolize many different things. These symbolic things include Piggy’s glasses, Simon’s epilepsy, the Lord of the Flies, and arguably the most important symbol, the conch shell. The conch shell was first found in the water by Piggy, who then comes up with the idea of using the conch as a blow horn to call for meetings. Throughout Lord of the Flies, the conch shell becomes not only associated with Ralph and his leadership, but with Piggy and his intuitive and wise ideas and Jack and his dictator-like, irresponsible authority. The conch shell, representing law and order, assisted in the election of Ralph as chief and ultimately determines the future of the island.
The Symbolic Significance of the Conch Shell in Lord of the Flies In William Golding's novel Lord of the Flies, the conch shell serves as a powerful symbol representing order, authority, and civilization amidst the chaos and savagery that ensue on the uninhabited island. A symbol is an abstract representation that conveys deeper meanings, concepts, or themes beyond its literal interpretation. The conch shell makes its initial appearance early in the narrative, causing the establishment of rules and organization among the group of stranded boys. As Ralph discovers the conch shell lying on the beach, he blows it to summon the other survivors, symbolizing the emergence of leadership and democratic decision-making. Golding writes, "He blew down here."
1. Shortly after arriving on the island, Ralph and Piggy discover a conch in the water. Ralph blows the conch to announce his location so the boys can gather. From the first use of the conch, it signifies the unity of the boys because it is what brought them together. The conch is also used to maintain organization.
Everyone will face evil at some point in their lives, but the way the evil is embraced or deflected will differ among every man. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, symbolism is used to communicate the theme of Understanding the Inhumanity/Inherent Evil of Man as represented through the double ended spear, the fire, and the Lord of the Flies. The spear represents the evil inside of humankind and the perception that killing and hurting each other out of anger is acceptable. Fire symbolizes the evil act of stealing to achieve a human wants. Lastly, the Lord of the Flies symbolizes the Inherent Evil of Man through demonstrating that a boy understood that the evil is within them instead of around them, and is not something that could be killed
The conch and the sow’s head both wield a specific type of power over the juvenile boys in Lord of the Flies. The conch, used to call assemblies, represents progress and civilization while the sow’s head represents terror, barbarity, and malevolence and is partly to blame for Simon’s demise. Lord of the Flies is a novel about power because throughout the book Jack and Ralph quarrel over who should be the chieftain of the children and the novel uses the conch and the sow’s head to represent divergent forms of power and authority. Also, the book shows the reader the power of symbols such as the conch and the pig’s head and even the island that the children remain inevitably imprisoned on until their liberation at the conclusion of the novel. Just about everything within this novel is a representation of something that is considerably greater.
For example, in the novel the main character Ralph addresses the group of boys about respecting each other and their thoughts, “That’s the shell is called, I’ll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he’s speaking.” (Golding 27). During this part of the story, Ralph realizes that this device can create civilized conversations because the person holding the conch is the only one who can speak without being interrupted by any comments or opinions until it is passed on, creating a functional system that the boys use for respect towards each other and teaches some of the boys, such as the littluns, how to be respectful and patient to others. Also according to the met’s article Immaterial: Shells “Strauchen- Scherer traces our fascination with conch shell as an instrument and a beacon for spirituality throughout history and across the globe.”
Golding uses the conch shell as a symbol of order and civilization on the island of boys. In the beginning, the conch is a beautiful shell that holds power and respect, but in the end of the book, the shell no longer holds the power and it is not important to the more savage boys such as Jack and Roger. The shell is destroyed when Piggy is killed which represents the loss of order as they turn into savages and descend to hell. A subtheme that is portrayed by this is that the most beautiful and orderly things in life can be destroyed by evil. When the boys first arrive they all come to the call of the shell on the paradise island.
While the objects seemed harmless, their symbolism (usually depicted in a negative manner) was a major influence to the children and overall outcome of the novel. Betwixt the relationship of power and symbols found within the Lord of the Flies one could use these attributes to manipulate and conquer. The use of power and symbolism create a magnificent tale of a group of children who descend into savagery as they can no longer tell what is logical and the price of this dire
Golding says “The boys broke into shrill, exciting cheering” (41) in the beginning of the novel, then at the end of the novel says, “A great clamor rose among the savages” (164). William Golding who wrote The Lord of the Flies changes his word choice from “boys” to “savages” to emphasize the fact that the boys change into savage creatures. Three symbols represent civilization and change into chaos over the course of the novel. The three symbols representing change are Piggy’s glasses, The fire, and the conch. These figures demonstrate the important theme that the calm civilization will soon break out into disorder.
“It is not so much the kind of person a man is as the kind of situation in which he finds himself that determines how he will act.” - Stanley Milgram. In the novel, Lord of the Flies, a group of boys age six to twelve find themselves stranded on an island with no adults and must learn to survive on their own. The boys build a government system but slowly start going savage and soon abandon all their civilized habits. The boys split into two groups over disagreements on chief and go into a type of war with each other. There are three deaths on the island, showing that the boys have gone so far into savagery they are committing murder.
