2009. A
symbol is an object, action, or event that represents something or that creates
a range of associations beyond itself. In literary works a symbol can express
an idea, clarify meaning, or enlarge literal meaning. Select a novel or play
and, focusing on one symbol, write an essay analyzing how that symbol functions
in the work and what it reveals about the characters or themes of the work as a
whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.
In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, a conch shell is used to
symbolize order and civilization throughout the novel. This is done through the
uses of the object and changes reflected upon it. Golding also uses the
deterioration of the conch to emphasize the absence of society and the effects
that it has on the boys.
At the beginning of the novel, the sound of the conch is used to assemble the
boys who are stranded on the island. Once together, it is also used to signify
who may speak—whoever holds the shell may talk and all others must remain
silent. By having the boys use the conch in these ways it comes to represent
order by keeping them together and under control. It also indicates the ideas
of civilization through the organization of power and control over the group of
boys. Without the shell the boys would not have been able to come together and they
would not have been able to hold a mature meeting in which they were able to
discuss their options and ideas—a necessity in any orderly civilization.
As the novel continues, the boys begin to lose their sense of order with which
they began. As this occurs, the conch shell begins to fade in color. For
example, as Jack and his followers become more ruthless in their hunting and start
to rebel against Ralph’s leadership, the once deep pink of the shell turns to a
pale cream. As the story progresses, the conch continues to become meekly
colored by a cloudy transparency. Finally when Piggy (the only character to
truly maintain all of the ideals of civilization throughout the novel) is
killed, the conch shell shatters completely. This is representative of the
complete deterioration of all order that the boys began with.
William Golding also uses the
decomposition of the conch shell to show the meaning of the novel, which is
that without the rules of society, people would be consumed with self-interest
and be evil in nature. The symbolization affiliated with the conch shell signifies
the process of this occurring with the youth in the story. Because children
have not been exposed to civilization for as long as adults, they are able to
lose their grasp on the importance of it. As this occurs, they also become more
self-indulgent and vicious—without true purpose. Since the order that the boys
once knew fades along with the color of the conch, Golding’s overall meaning in
the novel is emphasized.
The conch shell in Lord
of the Flies not only symbolizes order and civilization as it begins
to deteriorate throughout the novel, but also contributes to the overall
meaning of the work that Golding was portraying. The corresponding of the loss
of all remnants of the ideals of society and the fading conch emphasizes the
effects on the boys and the savagery consumes them. This ultimately reflects
that without the rules and constraints of civilization, humans would be selfish
and evil.
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