Lord of the Flies Symbolism Paper

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Lord of the Flies Paper Assignment In Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses many symbols to explain the way he feels about humanity as a whole. One example of this is the conch shell that Ralph and Piggy discover on the beach, realizing that it can be used as a horn to summon the other boys from the crash. From the beginning the conch shows a sense of power throughout the group. While the conch holds power at the beginning of the story, it soon starts to diminish as the story continues, causing a decline of order and society within the group. A conch symbolizes convolutions suggesting the rising and setting of the sun, as well as a recognition of worldly power, royalty, and an ear that hears the divine world. In this book, the conch symbolizes a feeling of power and organization of society at the beginning of the story. The first major occurrence of the conch shell is at the very beginning of the book, when Ralph spots the shiny, rare object in the water, "A conch he called it. He used to blow it and then his mom would come. It's ever so valuable" (Golding15). At this point of the story the conch appears, foreshadowing a major effect it will have on the boys. As piggy states its value, the reader soon acknowledges that it will be a symbol of order and power due to its characteristics and symbolic qualities of worldly power. Next, the conch's power intensifies immediately becoming the deciding factor of who will lead their new society. "Let him be the chief with the trumpet-thing" (Golding22). This statement proves that the conch holds much of the power within the group at this point in the story, since Ralph was the one to summon the boys with the conch, he who holds it shall be the supreme leader of the pack. This shows a huge change in impact the conch holds at this point in the story, because it changes from an object of beauty to a significant
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