In William Golding's Lord of the Flies, the island represents a microcosm. In the beginning of the novel the boys elect a leader and establish rules, in order to survive. Even though rules were set, they get broken by the evil within each boy. When the boys begin to neglect their assigned tasks on the island, society starts to fall apart. The boys stranded on the island and their actions are similar to the larger world.
Rousseau believed that civilization corrupts the essential innocence and goodness of man. The “noble savage'; in his own natural habitat will rid himself of societies evils. But that is not what happens in Lord of the Flies. In Fact, Without society keeping him in line, man will revert back to his most primal state, and blur the line between animals and humans… From the calling of the first meeting and all along up to the final hunt for Ralph the sense of order and respect is gradually declining among the boys. In the beginning everybody listens to what everybody has to say, and they try to build a civilized society on the island.
This was a results of not following rules and don’t respect each other. My paragraphs proved that Conch is very affective symbol during the book. The Conch represents power because Ralph became the chief with the Conch and he controlled the boys and made the rules that is fair for every one so nobody would be hurt. Conch also symbolizes democracy because it was used to communicate others, and anyone who wants to speak and nobody can interrupt him. Conch shows the unity of the boys because Ralph made the boys work together with peace and making an assembly when needed.
Just this alone shows the force the conch has over the boys. When the boys obey the conch and when the conch is around, the boys act civilized and obey rules. This proves the conch can be interpreted as a symbol for civilization.
Jacks group is all about hunting while Ralphs group uses their knowledge to get rescued. Some symbols in Lord of the Flies are the island, the conch, and one of the characters Piggy, these symbols meaning change throughout the book. The island represents a good and evil symbol in the Lord of the Flies. It stands for a new independent life without any adults who rule the children’s life. The boys realized that there is not anyone to get them in trouble or tell them anything after they doing something wrong so; they end up liking the island.
The lord of the flies is a book about a group of boys stranded on a tropical island to illustrate the evil characters of mankind. Lord of the Flies dealt with changes that the boys go through as they gradually got use to the stranded freedom from the outside world. Three main characters pictured different effects on the other boys. Jack Merridew began as the bossy and arrogant leader of a choir. The freedom of the island allowed him to further develop the darker side of his personality as the Chief of a savage tribe.
Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a novel that represents society and it’s components in a tale about a children stranded on an island. Of the group there are two who want to lead the boys for the duration of their stay, one of which is Jack Merridew. Although he doesn’t have any power at the beginning of the novel, he took every chance he had to try to take the position of chief which he eventually got. He ruled with an iron fist, allowing no one to question him or his leadership. Jack represented the wanting for a single, all powerful leader to guide the followers of society using any means he feels necessary.
At the meetings, a sense of order is instilled because the boys are not allowed to speak unless they have the conch shell. "I'll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he's speaking." (p. 31) By making this rule, he gains respect from the boys and becomes for confident as a leader. Ralph uses his power to tries to make the boys better people.
Mokokoma Mokhonoana once said, “Morals are nothing but a civilized society’s attempt to tame some beast called man.” Many works of fiction discuss how these morals are challenged when faced with isolation from civilization. One of the most famous of these works is William Golding’s fiction novel, Lord of the Flies, which explores the theme of civilization versus savagery through the story of a group of English boys who are stranded on a deserted island. Early on in their new lives on the island, the boys stay true to the morals they were taught at home. As time progresses however, the boys are confronted with the ultimate challenge: resisting their inner primal instincts. In his novel, Golding uses crucial symbols such as the conch, the fire, and Piggy’s glasses to enhance the reader’s understanding of the characters’ transformation from morality to savagery.
As civilization weakens, savagery takes over the boys’ lives. At the first assembly, which Ralph called when he blew the conch, everyone decides that the person who “holds the conch gets to talk” (Golding 21). When they first implement this new rule, the conch shell automatically becomes a crucial symbol of civilization and order. The shell has succeeded in governing the boys’ meetings. By adhering to the guidelines and rules set regarding the conch, the boys still maintain their civilized lifestyle that they acquired when there was a presence of government and social order.