In the novel Lord of The Flies written by William Golding, a plane crashed and a group of young boys, all under the age of 18 are trying to live and act like grown-ups. Items the boys have found, or already had with them, become valuable possessions which help us understand the novel. Symbolism is demonstrated in Large amounts throughout the entire novel; with items such as the conch, the glasses and the knife, they are able to survive.
The conch is one of the many symbols in the novel. The conch is a symbol of democracy: " 'We can't have everybody talking at once... I'll give him the conch... [and then] I'll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he's speaking.' " said Ralph, as he taught a way of having rules and orders to a group of young guys, which was the beginning of their own democracy (pg.31). A democracy is a way of having order by allowing equal opportunities to all and allowing everyone to take part in important decisions. Ralph's way of making rules to a group of boys was phenomenal, because whenever he blew the melody of the conch, the boys always came into a circle to talk about things " 'We can use this to call the others. [And]have meeting['s]. They'll come when they hear us-.' " (pg.12)
Another symbol in the novel is the knife. Jack uses the knife to strike fear into the eyes of the boys, giving Jack an edge over the group; but the knife does not only symbolize power to Jack. With the knife, Jack has the reinforcement to manipulate and control the group of younger boys easily, making them turn against Ralph " 'Who will join my tribe..' " (pg.166). When the knife was first presented in the novel, Jack and Ralph went hunting. When Jack first encounters a pig, he fails to kill it and because of this, Jack becomes crazed with the idea of hunting and killing: " 'I was going to... I was choosing a place. Next time [I will]!' " (pg.29). He had his adrenalin rush and wants more, the thought of hunting blinds his...