At the start of the novel the conch shell symbolizes order. Soon after the boys arrive on the island, Ralph blows the conch and they gather on a large rock and form an assembly. After selecting Ralph as their chief, the boys quickly realize that with so many of them trying to talk during the assembly at once, no one can be understood, and with no adults around, they must establish a working society. Ralph suggests “‘I’ll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he’s speaking that whoever holds the conch should be the only one allowed to talk’”(33). Jack jumps up and adds “‘We’ll have rules!...Lots of rules!’” (33). Because the only person who can speak posses the conch, it brings order to the assembly and allows the boys to listen to a single speaker. Ralph’s suggestion to use the conch as a way to civilize the boys initiated Jack’s idea to establish rules. Because the conch initiated the group’s inclination towards rules, as well as civilized them during the assembly by dictating who can speak, it symbolizes order.
At the end of the book, the conch still represents order and civilization. After Jack and his tribe have split away from Ralph’s tribe and have stolen their fire, Ralph and his posse go to confront Jack’s tribe. Upon arrival, they are met with hostility, and Ralph and Jack begin to fight. While they are fighting, Roger, who stands on a ledge up above them, pushes a rock onto Piggy and “[t]he rock stuck [him] a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch explode[s] into a thousand white fragments and cease[s] to exist” (181). Here, the conch’s destruction is accompanied by one of the …show more content…
After Jack and his tribe split away from Ralph, they soon realize that they have no way of starting a fire because they don’t have Piggy’s glasses. During a gathering, someone from Jack’s tribe asks, “‘What’ll we use for lighting the fire?’ [Jack’s] blush [is] hidden by the white and red
At the end of the book, the conch still represents order and civilization. After Jack and his tribe have split away from Ralph’s tribe and have stolen their fire, Ralph and his posse go to confront Jack’s tribe. Upon arrival, they are met with hostility, and Ralph and Jack begin to fight. While they are fighting, Roger, who stands on a ledge up above them, pushes a rock onto Piggy and “[t]he rock stuck [him] a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch explode[s] into a thousand white fragments and cease[s] to exist” (181). Here, the conch’s destruction is accompanied by one of the …show more content…
After Jack and his tribe split away from Ralph, they soon realize that they have no way of starting a fire because they don’t have Piggy’s glasses. During a gathering, someone from Jack’s tribe asks, “‘What’ll we use for lighting the fire?’ [Jack’s] blush [is] hidden by the white and red