Lotf Essay

Submitted By shriya09
Words: 997
Pages: 4

When kids are little, they often play games, such as Pictionary. In Pictionary, kids use different pictures or symbols to represent a word. Similarly, in the novel Lord of the Flies, William Golding illustrates different objects representing various things. He portrays their image as helpful and good in the beginning, however by the end of the novel, the meaning of the symbol transforms. The conch, Piggy’s glasses and even the island itself symbolize various meanings. The conch represents power and order, while Piggy’s glasses symbolize reasoning. This helps the boys survive on the “treasury” paradise without adults. However, by the end of the novel, Golding portrays how society and humans become uncivilized through the change in the symbols throughout the book. When first landing on the island, the boys were confused and lost. Luckily, they discovered the conch, which became a tool to build up civilization and uniform on the island. Through the power of the conch, Ralph was able to gather everyone on the island and hold meetings. Without it, the boys would never have known who was stranded on the island. Also, during the first meeting, the boys elected a leader, making the conch also stand for democracy. On account for having the most votes, Ralph was chosen as the leader, but he also compromised with Jack who wanted power to avoid conflict. Ralph says, “The choir belongs to you, of course,” (Golding 23). To avoid disagreement and chaos, Ralph makes sure there is justice and equality on the island by giving everyone the right to state their opinion through the conch. However, throughout the novel, the conch loses power and the boys begin to detach themselves from civilization. As a result, the boys on the island separated into two groups; Ralph’s and Jack’s. When Ralph went to Jack’s group to regain order, the boys threw rocks at him while he was holding the conch. This was the beginning that the conch’s power began to vanish, as well as the boys the civilization. For example, at the end of the novel, Roger threw a rock down the mountain killing Piggy, which also destroyed the conch. Roger watched as, “The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist,” (181). The boys had lost their mind, only caring about power. This causes them to loose civilization and become part of a murder. As the conch is destroyed, the boys turn into animals, putting the island on fire as an attempt to kill Ralph and gain power. Along with the conch, Piggy’s glasses also symbolize various traits he represents, as well as their significance. Piggy was an eight year old boy with asthma who was unable to see with his glasses, representing physical weakness and mental strength. His poor vision and obesity immediately makes the reader view him as physically inferior. However, Piggy’s glasses help illustrate his intellectual strength and his use of reason. Throughout the novel, the society on the island transitions from an organized democratic society to an anarchy. This transition is shown through the change in significance in Piggy’s glasses. At first, Piggy’s glasses proved to be very useful. Jack shouted, “his specs – use them as burning glass,” (18). When the boys first discovered that Piggy’s glasses could be used to make a signal fire, they all saw hope in being rescued and remained methodically. They used reasoning by understanding the importance to maintain a fire, built shelters, and obtained food. People were assigned jobs to make everything orderly on the island, however that did not last. As time passed and no sign of rescue was visible, the boys gradually became uncivilized. Jack hit Piggy in the head, resulting in his glasses to fall and one lens to break. Piggy yelled annoyed, “I got to have them specks. Now I only got one eye, “(76). This is the