Lord of the Flies
Symbolism
The Conch
Ralph and Piggy discover the conch shell on the beach at the start of the novel and use it to summon the boys together after the plane crash separates them. The conch shell becomes a powerful symbol of civilization and order. The shell is the call to the boys’ meetings, also the boy who holds the shell holds the right to speak. In way the shell is a political devise that shows power. As the island civilization declines and the boys head towards savagery, the conch shell loses its power and influence among them. Ralph grabs the shell when he talks about his role in murdering Simon. The other boys ignore Ralph and throw stones at him when he attempts to blow the conch in Jack’s camp. The boulder that Roger rolls onto Piggy also crushes the conch shell, signifying the total collapse of the civilization among most the boys on the island.
The Beast
The imaginary beast that frightens all the boys stands for the part of savagery that exists within all human beings. The boys are frightened of the beast, but only Simon comes to the conclusion that they fear the beast because it exists within each of them. As the boys grow more savage, their belief in the beast grows stronger. By the end the boys are leaving it sacrifices and treating it as a kind of god. The boys’ actions only make the believe in the Beast stronger. So the more savage they act the more they all are scarred of the Beast and think it is real.
Piggy's glasses
Piggy is the most rational boy in the group, and his glasses represent the power of science and intellectualism in the society. This is clear from the start of the book, when the boys have to make fire to survive and they use piggy's lenses from his glasses to make it. When Jack’s hunters steal the glasses, the savages effectively take the power to make fire, leaving Ralph’s group of boy without the ability to make fire.
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Event Information
Book Sale
Come get a Lord of the Flies book for half off for our annual summer sale.
When?
Wednesday, Jun 12, 2013, 11:00 AM
Where?