The destruction that occurs on the island is due to the natural instinct of humans to destroy and tear down one another. In Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies Golding uses three major symbols, the conch shell, fire, and the beast support his theme that mankind is evil. The conch represents the order in humanity until it brakes and all hope is lost. The fire represents the hope to be saved yet in the end it only destroys. Lastly, the beast represented the fear of the unknown and is the origin of violence throughout the novel. The three symbols show the humans natural instinct to overrule and destroy one another no matter how young. The boys on the island suffer through the loss of innocence that they come to the island with and by the end of
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The conch is represents a system of equality for the boys. It also represents the familiarity of rules and the good in humanity. When Piggy and Ralph set out to venture through the island in hopes of finding civilization they stumble upon the conch. Piggy immediately recognizes the conch and says "S'right. It's a shell! I seen one like that before. On someone's back wall. A conch he called it. He used to blow it and then his mum would come. It's ever so valuable--" (15). Ralph then blows the conch and all the children on the island come together as one. The conch brings them together in unity and is used to regulate speech from that point on. As the story goes on the conch gains more and more significance to the boys. Then the conchs power is starting to be abused when Ralph says “I bet if I blew the conch this minute, they’d come running” (51). Soon the importance of the conch is no longer relevant and no longer has a place. The conch represented their last piece of humanity throughout the novel, but suddenly things take a turn for the worse. The children turn to violence as a result and a repercussion Piggy is killed "The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist" (181). When the conch breaks the good in humanity disappears and is replaced with evil. With the conch gone Ralph realizes there was no way he can regain authority and is faced …show more content…
The boys are bright children and decide to build a fire to send a signal so they can be rescued. When the boys are about ready to give up Ralph encourages them by saying “Don't you all want to be rescued?”(102). The fire is their only hope and motivation throughout this cruel island. The fire connects them to the world outside the island and serves as a constant reminder of humanity. The fire continues to encourage and motivate them but eventually it became less important. When fire became less important he has to keep reminding them of its importance "The fire is the most important thing on the island. How can we ever be rescued except by luck, if we don't keep a fire going? Is a fire too much for us to make?" (80). Although after they burn down about half the forest and fail to keep a steady fire Ralph has to remind himself “Ralph tried indignantly to remember. There was something good about a fire. Something overwhelmingly good” (163). As the story goes on fire becomes less and less a symbol of hope but instead becomes a symbol of destruction and the collapse of mankind. When Jack and the hunters steal the fire, the evil and destructive power of a dictatorship is symbolized as Jack and Roger gain control of the boys. Golding however continues with his theme of evil and ends the book in irony. The ending is ironic because all this time the boys are
The conch is represents a system of equality for the boys. It also represents the familiarity of rules and the good in humanity. When Piggy and Ralph set out to venture through the island in hopes of finding civilization they stumble upon the conch. Piggy immediately recognizes the conch and says "S'right. It's a shell! I seen one like that before. On someone's back wall. A conch he called it. He used to blow it and then his mum would come. It's ever so valuable--" (15). Ralph then blows the conch and all the children on the island come together as one. The conch brings them together in unity and is used to regulate speech from that point on. As the story goes on the conch gains more and more significance to the boys. Then the conchs power is starting to be abused when Ralph says “I bet if I blew the conch this minute, they’d come running” (51). Soon the importance of the conch is no longer relevant and no longer has a place. The conch represented their last piece of humanity throughout the novel, but suddenly things take a turn for the worse. The children turn to violence as a result and a repercussion Piggy is killed "The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist" (181). When the conch breaks the good in humanity disappears and is replaced with evil. With the conch gone Ralph realizes there was no way he can regain authority and is faced …show more content…
The boys are bright children and decide to build a fire to send a signal so they can be rescued. When the boys are about ready to give up Ralph encourages them by saying “Don't you all want to be rescued?”(102). The fire is their only hope and motivation throughout this cruel island. The fire connects them to the world outside the island and serves as a constant reminder of humanity. The fire continues to encourage and motivate them but eventually it became less important. When fire became less important he has to keep reminding them of its importance "The fire is the most important thing on the island. How can we ever be rescued except by luck, if we don't keep a fire going? Is a fire too much for us to make?" (80). Although after they burn down about half the forest and fail to keep a steady fire Ralph has to remind himself “Ralph tried indignantly to remember. There was something good about a fire. Something overwhelmingly good” (163). As the story goes on fire becomes less and less a symbol of hope but instead becomes a symbol of destruction and the collapse of mankind. When Jack and the hunters steal the fire, the evil and destructive power of a dictatorship is symbolized as Jack and Roger gain control of the boys. Golding however continues with his theme of evil and ends the book in irony. The ending is ironic because all this time the boys are