Lord Of The Flies Conch

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In a novel detailing the evils and chaos of man, the symbol of the conch represents the last semblance of a civilized union. The novel of Lord of the Flies is written by William Golding. It is set in the future, and describes how boys sent away from war by plane, that crash on an island, survive… or don’t. Among many other symbols in the text – the conch serves as a reminder of peace, even as the boys deteriorate into savagery. The conch strengthens Golding’s theme of inner evil because of the boys faith in, attachment to, and destruction of, it.
The boys have a great amount of faith in the conch, marveling at it very soon after they crash on the island. From the very beginning Ralph and Piggy have faith that the conch will help them find others on the island: "We can use this to call the others. Have a meeting. They'll come when they hear us-" (16). Both Ralph and Piggy recognize the power of the conch, and it's ability to signal the others. Like the first day on the island, Ralph believes that he can call an assembly using the conch, even when the people he's trying to call have turned on him. When Jack and his savages …show more content…

The conch is used in many civilizations, texts, advertisements as a symbol for something good. Blowing a conch shell shows order and meeting, a conch shell on a beach seems relaxing. In the example of Lord of the Flies – the importance of the conch is not only what it represents, but how it is treated. The faith of it in the beginning reveals that the boys like the idea of being rescued and staying together. The attachment to the shell shows how desperate they're becoming for a sense of order, hopeful that they would be saved. The destruction of the conch shows that every boy, in some way or another, has revealed the ugly evil side of themselves that William Golding believes is the true nature of

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