Conch
Conch
“Ralph grasped the idea and hit the shell with air from his diaphragm. Immediately the thing sounded. A deep, harsh note boomed under the palms, spread through the intricacies of the forest and echoed back from the pink granite of the mountain. Clouds of birds rose from the treetops, and something squealed and ran in the undergrowth… A child had appeared among the palms, about a hundred yards along the beach. Signs of life were visible now on the beach. The sand, trembling beneath the heat haze, concealed many figures in its miles of length; boys were making their way toward the platform through the hot, dumb sand. Three small children,... More and more of them came… they sat down on the fallen palm trunks and waited. Ralph continued to blow short, penetrating blasts... The children gave him the same simple obedience that they had given to the men with megaphones.” (p.12)
“We can't have everybody talking at once. We'll have to have
'Hands up' like at school."
He held the conch before his face and glanced round the mouth.
"Then I'll give him the conch."
"Conch?"
"That's what this shell's called. I'll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can
hold it when he's speaking."
"But--"
"Look--"
"And he won't be interrupted: Except by me."
Jack was on his feet.
"We'll have rules!" he cried excitedly. "Lots of rules! Then when anyone breaks 'em--"
"Whee--oh!"
"Wacco!"
"Bong!"
"Doink!" (p.24)
“Ralph put his head down on his forearms and accepted this new fact like a wound. Samneric were part of the tribe now. They were guarding the Castle Rock against him. There was no chance of rescuing them and building up an outlaw tribe at the other end of the island. Samneric were savages like the rest; Piggy was dead, and the conch smashed to powder.” (p.144)
ANALYSIS
In the beginning of Lord of the flies, Ralph and Piggy find a shell, and as you can see in the first and second references, the shell has a significative representation of order and society. As long as the shell represents leadership and a mirror of our modern politician, It has total importance to organize the children along their way to be rescued. However, when this symbol of organization has no longer power of contol, the society becomes a chaos as we can see in the last reference.
Conch
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