In Lord of the Flies, the seemingly common object that becomes pivotal to the plot is the conch shell. The conch shell is found in the first chapter and is kept throughout the story. Without the conch shell, the leaders in the story would have been different. The conch is vital because it is shown and perceived as some sort of sign of leadership, power, and democracy. Without the shell, chaos ensues even faster.
If not for the conch shell, Ralph may not have been leader. He had the conch in his hand and the boys were assembled and talking about who should be the leader. “But there was a stillness about Ralph as he sat that marked him out: there was his size, and attractive appearance; and most obscurely, yet most powerfully, there was the conch,” (Golding 22). This quote is describing Ralph as most of the younger boys see him. They are already enamored by his physique, and when they see the conch, which had the power to assemble them together, they assume Ralph has power. “I ought to be chief,” said Jack with simple arrogance, “because I’m chapter chorister and head boy. I can sing C sharp,” (Golding 22). I believe that if not for the conch, Jack would have ended up as leader. He would have gotten his entire choir boys to elect him as chief. Progress would not have been made and the boys would go crazy even faster.
Later on in the story, Ralph blows the conch again and the kids once again come to Ralph. “They obeyed the summons of the conch, partly because Ralph blew it, and he was big enough to be a link with the adult world of authority…” (Golding 50). The main reason why they came was because the conch was sounded and it is linked with power and leadership. Countless times in Lord of the Flies, the conch is seen as an all-powerful figure. It also gives power to the individual who is holding it. When holding the conch shell, you are the only one allowed to speak during a meeting.
Even with the shell in existence and being enforced, chaos and frenzy is...