The Power of the Conch

A detailed Summary of The Power of the Conch

William Golding uses many objects as symbols throughout the novel "Lord of the Flies". The Conch is a symbol for all the values and morals bread into civilized man. Amazed by the appearance and ability of the conch they gave it a kind of supreme power letting it structure their lives. They pass the conch to one another to speak, therefore it keeps order among them. The conch acted as an equalizer because anyone who had it was given the right to express themselves.

The children were mesmerized by the power the conch gives its possessor. When the first meeting is called and they all decide to have a chief Ralph is voted for, mostly because he has the conch. Their voting cries were, "Him with the shell", "Ralph, Ralph", and "Let him be chief with the trumpet thing."(22) The children had chosen a person they had known for less than a day, not because he showed great leadership skills but because he possessed the conch. This is just one example of the conch giving a power to its' carrier. Another happens at dusk when all the kids are having a feast after jack kills the first pig and Ralph decides to call an assembly. "He faced the place of assembly and put the conch to his lips. The oth

In this primitively formed society of children the conch is used to represent the respect, order, structure, and equality which civilization has embedded in their minds. Golding's theme which is as follows: "The theme is an attempt to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature". The conch shell represents the ideal values of a civilized man. These ideal values can be corrupted by man's natural instinct of self-preservation. Man will do what is ultimately best for his own interests. Golding uses the conch to open our eyes as the reader to the many flaws and defects in our own thoughts and philosophies. Golding ultimately gets his message across through the shattering of the conch shell, because that is when total anarchy breaks out.

The conch gave them a civilized order much like a school house. During meetings the kids would all wait their turn to speak and wouldn't talk unless they had the conch. It was as though they had their mothers watching over them, telling them to be polite and that interrupting was rude. "I got the conch! Just you listen! The first thing we ought to have made was shelters down there by the beach..."(45) Here the conch enforces order, for if Piggy didn't h

Some common words found in the essay are:
Ralph Ralph, Hear He's, Simon Piggy, Flies Conch, William Golding, power conch, holding conch, conch shell, ideal values, bread civilized, attention simon,

Approximate Word count = 825
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Miscellaneous

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The Power of the Conch

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