Javier Real

The Meaning behind the Symbol

Life itself has a meaning behind it just like a symbol. We learn through the many

struggles theirs lessons to be learned and meaning to be found. In the book, The lord of the flies

the author uses many symbols that tie all together at the end of the day. The boys stranded on the

island try to figure out many was to create order in their own new society. The symbols like the

conch, knife and specs all have a greater meaning in this story of their survival.

Creating order by assembly, the conch is in many ways what brings the boys together.

It’s a tool that is to be used to speak about the problems and objectives that need to be solved for

everyone to survival. In the book the reader may think of the conch as ralph did just a shell that

has no use. “Ralph had stopped smiling and was pointing into the lagoon. Something creamy lay

among the ferny weeds. "A stone." "No. A shell." Suddenly Piggy was a-bubble with decorous

excitement. "S'right. It's a shell! I seen one like that before. On someone's back wall. A conch he

called it. He used to blow it and then his mum would come. It's ever so valuable--"(Golding 11).

Or the possibility that you have the knowledge like piggy and understand that it can be used for

much more. “Piggy paused for breath and stroked the glistening thing that lay in Ralph's hands.

“Ralph!" Ralph looked up. "We can use this to call the others. Have a meeting. They'll come

when they hear us--" He beamed at Ralph. "That was what you meant, didn't you? That's why

you got the conch out of the water?" Ralph pushed back his fair hair” (Golding 12). Piggy sort of

assumes that ralph knows what it is as well, just because of the fact that he notices it from the

distance.

Good reasons in bad decisions, the knife in the book shows strength and fear at the same

time. Thinking logical was not on jacks mind as he assembled hunters to go find a pig. “Jack

stood up as he said this, the bloodied knife in his hand. The two boys faced each other. There
was the brilliant world of hunting, tactics, fierce exhilaration, skill; and there was the world of

longing and baffled commonsense. Jack transferred the knife to his left hand and smudged blood

over his forehead as he pushed down the plastered hair” (Golding 54). Jack shows his strength

and puts the fear in the other boys as he’s holding the bloody knife. Through all that the boys go

through a tough realization that they could have went home. “I was chief, and you were going to

do what I said. You talk. But you can't even build huts--then you go off hunting and let out the

fire--" He turned away, silent for a moment. Then his voice came again on a peak of feeling.

"There was a ship--" One of the smaller hunters began to wail. The dismal truth was filtering

through to everybody. Jack went very red as he hacked and pulled at the pig” (Golding, 54).

Although, all the boys felt what ralph was saying they understand that jack still got them food.

Four eyes in counting, intelligence and vison is what comes to mind when anyone thinks

of glasses. The glasses aka (specs) as piggy aunt would call them, helps in many ways though

out the story. They symbolize piggy’s intelligence and bad vision but also helps the boys build a

chaotic fire. “"Piggy's specs!" shouted Ralph. “If the fire's all out, we'll need them--" (Golding,

51). Fire that can lead to them being found and rescued, so his specs opens up a great opportunity

and benefits. Piggy’s specs are very much important to him and he values them in many ways.

Ralph made a step forward and Jack smacked Piggy's head. Piggy's glasses flew off and tinkled

on the rocks. Piggy cried out in terror: "My specs!" He went crouching and feeling over the rocks

but Simon, who got there first, found them for him. Passions beat about Simon on the mountain-

top with awful wings. "One side's broken." Piggy grabbed and put on the glasses. He looked

malevolently at Jack. "I got to have them specs. Now I only got one eye. Jus' you wait--"

(Golding, 54). They mean so much that piggy ends up threatening jack because he starts to get

violent with piggy.

 In conclusion, the symbol’s found in the lord of the flies prove to have very affective

meanings to them. We see the conch shows law, order, power and a bit of piggy’s knowledge.

The knife reveals savagery, fear and even survival when catching food and cutting down plants.

Lastly, the specs show advancement, reason, logic and even to be useful to make a fire. When

reading this the symbols meanings don’t quit pop out at you. Overall the conch, knife and specs

have an overall meaning to the whole story.

Work Cited