Lord Of The Flies Conch

In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, one of the central conflicts is the tension between two competing impulses: the instinct to live by the rules and to act peacefully versus the impulse to succumb to fear and to act violently. Golding illustrates this conflict through the uses of three symbols: the conch; Piggy’s spectacles; and the Lord of the Flies. The conflicts that occur on Golding’s island mirrors the conflicts we all face in society today.

Golding uses the conch to show the boys’ attempt to establish democratic order. In addressing the group, Ralph uses the conch to set rules. “And another thing, we can’t have everybody talking at once. We’ll have to have ‘hands up’ like at school.” He held the conch before his face and glanced …show more content…
The Lord of the Flies represents the evil that exists within humans, an evil that lures them to violence and destruction.After Jack and his gang have killed a pig and stuck its head (The Lord of the Flies) on a stake, Simon talks to it. “Pig’s head on a stick . Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill,” said the head…”You knew didn’t you? I’m part of you? Close, close, close! I’m the reason why it’s no go. Why things are the way they are.” (Golding 143) As Simon talks with his head, he realizes what is truly going on: the Beast is within the boys. The Lord of the Flies represents the evil within the boys, the evil within all humans. The evil emerges slowly for some, faster for others. After Jack and his hunters kill a pig, they re-enact its killing in front of the group. In the process, people are hurt. Once the boys experience a kill, they are hungry for more. The killing of the pig gave Jack desire to act on his savage instincts. In our own society, when people give in to savage instincts and prey upon others, civilization falls