Consider two symbols, which you consider to be important in the novel, :: English Literature

Consider two symbols, which you consider to be important in the novel, and show you have thought about how Golding makes use oConsider two symbols, which you consider to be important in the novelThe Lord of the Flies, and show you have thought about how Goldingmakes use of them.A symbol is a thing regarded as suggesting something. The twoobjects I have chosen are in my view the most symbolically importantin the novel The Lord of the Flies.Firstly I have chosen the conch. The conch is very significant, as itis the first recognizable object introduced. A conch is a shell, andis expound as deep cream, touched here and there with fading pink.It is discovered in the first chapter of the book, The Sound of theShell and is used to summon everyone together.Traditionally, the conch was used by the Greek God of the Sea, Triton,to calm or raise the oceans. Similarly, it was used by Ralph tocommand order, attention and respect from the other boys, although hedid not use it on purpose to do thi s. The boys see it as a symbolof authority, which must be obeyed unquestioningly. When thisauthority is challenged by Jack in Beast From Water, and again inBeast From Air, it is the turning point leading to Ralphs downfall,and the demise of the conch. Conch Conch shouted Jack. We dont need the conch any more. Jack is undermining Ralph, merely to bury his own insecurity. Itis at this point that Ralph realises the seriousness of the situation,and is too scared to blow the conch, in case the boys do not regroup. If I blow the conch and they dont come back weve had it. The conch is also representative of the boys loss of innocence, asthis is echoed by the conch losing colour, and losing significance tothe boys. When the conch is destroyed, it indicates the destruction oforder, and rational thought and behaviour. At the same moment theconch is destroyed, piggy is killed, which heightens the drama of thesituation, and stresses how important it is that the conch has beendestroyed.In the m icrocosm of the island, the boys have virtually no disciplineor figure of authority, and so become more and more feral. Jacksbehaviour in this situation shows that people will abuse power if itis not earned. The power that he has corrupts him, and turns him froma bossy schoolboy into a bloodthirsty dictator. At the beginning ofthe novel, the boys were still subject to their conditioning by