The Power of the Conch

"The Power of the Conch" William Golding uses many objects as symbols throughout the novel "Lord of the Flies". The Conch is a symbol for all the values and morals bread into civilized man. Amazed by the appearance and ability of the conch they gave it a kind of supreme power letting it structure their lives. They pass the conch to one another to speak, therefore it keeps order among them. The conch acted as …

…represents the ideal values of a civilized man. These ideal values can be corrupted by man's natural instinct of self-preservation. Man will do what is ultimately best for his own interests. Golding uses the conch to open our eyes as the reader to the many flaws and defects in our own thoughts and philosophies. Golding ultimately gets his message across through the shattering of the conch shell, because that is when total anarchy breaks out.