Who Is The Conch Shell In Lord Of The Flies

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Man does not control his fate, but he is in control of the actions he takes to foster his fate. In Lord of the Flies, William Golding presents two distinct personalities- civilized and uncultured. The tragic reason for the diminishing relationship between the British boys is apparent through Ralph finding the conch shell and claiming authority, Jack leaving the group, and the final fight between the two groups of boys. The conch shell is a symbol of immense power and justice in Lord of the Flies. Immediately after Piggy introduces Ralph to the conch shell, Ralph thinks of ways it may be helpful for the group. He says, “We can use this to call the others. Have a meeting. They’ll come when they hear us-” (Golding 16). Ralph clearly assumes the highest level of command because he is already separating the group of boys b saying, “They’ll come when they hear us.” The character of Ralph signifies the “code of nature” (Ecocritical Reading), which is what creates civility amongst a group of people. The boys’ characters should be a reflection…show more content…
Jack immediately shares his thoughts by saying, “Who thinks Ralph oughtn’t to be chief?” (Golding 27). He discreetly proposes the idea of someone else becoming leader. At this point, Jack is fed up with Ralph for not believing that Jack and his hunters say a ‘beast’. Jack and his team represent an ill force by creating a system of anarchy whose only objective is to conquer everything (Ecocritical Reading). This ill force is not part of he “code of nature” that should be presented through each of the boys. Madness has already taken over. Jack ad his hunters are satisfying their needs by killing anything they can. From this, Jack will begin to feel the authority he believes he is deserving of. The actions Jack takes once Ralph becomes the leader are what wreck their
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