Symbols of Conch and Fire in Lord of the Flies Literary Analysis Essay Sample

After the outrageous WWII, in 1954, countries were busy implementing sanctions on defeated countries, building a chaotic world. Meanwhile, a man named William Golding in his 40s was busy writing one of the most popular dystopian fiction novels: Lord of the Flies. Golding’s main purpose with Lord of the Flies is to contextualize human nature, origins of violence and inner savagery existing within humanity by stranding a group of boys on an island. William Golding was able to point out what civilization is and how fragile it is through symbolism. In Lord of the Flies, William Golding illustrates the breakdown of the civilization by drawing attention to conch and fire as symbols to convey how civilizations can alter to a rampageous place.

Above all, the conch is one of the most significant symbols that reflects the breakdown of civilization. At first, William Golding determines the conch as a representation of order. “And another thing. We can’t have everybody, talking at once. We’ll have to have ‘hands up’ like at school,” (33) says Ralph, the leader. What can be inferred from this quote is that the conch is the authority tool that is used to decide who is up for speaking in meetings. Whoever has the conch is paid attention by everybody on the island. This idea allegorically concurs with the idea of power and authority. Whoever possesses power is listened to by everybody, just as the conch possession on the island regulates the speaking turn. This quote indicates that civilization is depicted in the book. However, events take a twist when the “fragile white conch” (155) was broken. The second the conch was in pieces, the idea of dominion flew out the window. It is clear from the quotation “See? See? That’s what you’ll get! I meant that! There isn’t a tribe for you anymore! The conch is gone —” (181) that the conch was the only item that kept the boys in order. Power and authority over the boys are diminished at this point. When the conch is gone forever, the chaotic environment arises, leading to the weakening of civilization.

In addition, the fire is one of the greatest symbols in the book that foretells the collapse of civilization. In the book, the fire denotes rescue and hope occurring from the idea of being rescued. This can be interpreted by the following quotation: “We can help them to find us. If a ship comes near the island, they may not notice us. We must make a fire,” (38). This indicates that they are trying to maintain the island as a civilized society similar to their prior lives. It also gives the impression that they are united because, at night, fire provides comfort as they round around the fire. Nevertheless, the island continues to have troubles within. After the conch was broken, Jack was the controlling leader of the island. He wanted to hunt Ralph and kill him . However, Ralph vanished. This is the stage where Jack went savage. The quotation “They had smoked him out and set the island on fire,” (197) shows that Jack set the entire forest on fire, knowing Ralph was going to be aghast. At this point, Jack has more power than he is ever supposed to have and becomes a dictator. Jack no longer cares about being rescued or the safety of the boys, but the only detail he is concerned about is murdering Ralph. This evidence highlights that civilization and unity catastrophically fall apart and the inner barbarism within the boys truly shows itself. 

All in all, Golding exemplifies the disintegration of civilization through the implementation of symbols into Lord of the Flies to emphasize how savagery can demolish a civilization. To narrate the gradual collapse of civilization, William Golding used conch and fire, portraying them as motifs of civilization and showing how each item evokes a breakdown. Overall, William Golding exceedingly managed to achieve what he has been trying to do all along: Reflecting on Human Nature. Indeed, what William Golding once said demonstrates his whole purpose: “I believe man suffers from an appalling ignorance of his own nature,”.