Lord of the Flies is a novel written by William Golding. It contains a great deal of symbolism. Conch shells, and spears play a major role in the tale. The conch shell and the spear are both used more often in the story as they show how the children have evolved from a highly civilized society into a primitive, atavistic group. From the beginning, the ‘conch’ has played a major role in the democratic process. The boys decided that everyone must hold the conch in order to speak. The spear is a symbol of anarchy and bestial behavior that will lead to the destruction of civilized society on the island.
Jack let out the fire on the mountain while he hunted and killed a pig using a spear. Then, he and Ralph got into an argument at a tribe assembly. “Jack! Jack! You’ve got no conch, Jack! Jack’s mouth was near Jack. You must stop! Who are YOU? What are you doing? You can’t hunt”. (91) Jack’s killing of the pig shows that the conch has started to be abused and rules surrounding it. The conch was no longer valuable because they could eat with the spear. “Block the rules!” We’re strong-we hunt! We’ll hunt down any beast! We will close the distance and continue to beat -!”(91.
As Simon crawls into the forest, hunters chant: “Kill that beast! Cut off his throat! Spill blood! They circled around Simon as “the sticks fell” and his mouth crunched. ‘(152). The hunters in the group are blinded to the chaos and fear that the “dance” of the animals brings, leading them to kill Simon. Simon’s killing is a pivotal moment that illustrates the shift from a civilized tribe to one that has become chaotic and animalistic. Piggy, Ralph and others talked about Simon the day following his death. “That’s murder.” “You have to stop!” Piggy shrieked. Ralph said slowly: “I didn’t feel scared. I don’t even know who I was.” (156) Ralph and Piggy reflect on the changes they’ve undergone as a result of the change in hunters. They killed Simon with spears and destroyed their own civilization.
Before the boulder kills Piggy, he asks “Which is better-to have rules and agree or to hunt and kill?” Piggy asks, “Which do you prefer- to have rules and to agree, or to kill and hunt?” (180). It is Piggy’s final plea to the hunters so that they will listen to reason. “The conch was blown into a thousand pieces of white and stopped existing”(181). The boys’ barbaric instincts have taken over their social codes and rules.
Two opposing impulses exist in every human being; the instinct for living by rules, codes, acting respectfully and worrying about others. And the instinct of acting savagely and obtaining dictatorship. Conch and spear represent these impulses. The conch is a symbol of modern society. It represents the rules, structure, and brutality of our modern world.
