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Even children need a form of civilization and order to survive. William Golding's novel, Lord of the Flies, reveals the truth of this statement. Fleeing from the drop of an atomic bomb, a plane crash leaves a group of English schoolboys stranded on an uninhabited island. The first two characters the reader is introduced to are Piggy and Ralph. Piggy finds a shell, known as a conch, and they decide that this conch shall be their form of order. Throughout the novel, the importance of the conch to the boys diminishes until it is finally destroyed.
At the start of the novel, the reader learns the importance of the conch. Piggy is the boy who finds it. He says to Ralph, We can use this to call the others. Have a meeting. Theyll come when they hear us- (page 16).
When the boys finally are gathered together, they vote on who will be chief. After Ralph is elected, they begin to form rules. Ralph says, Ill give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when hes speaking.
And he wont be interrupted (page 33). From this quote, the reader begins to see the impact that the conch has on the way the boys behave. The longer the boys are on the island, the less they begin to respect the conch. It is evident mostly when Piggy has possession of it. In the next quote, Piggy has just received the conch to express his point of view when the boys begin to interrupt him. I got the conch!
said Piggy indignantly. Ralph they ought to shut up, oughtnt they? (page 83). Here Piggy must remind the others that he has the conch and they can not talk. Jack was the first to make himself heard. He had not got the conch and thus spoke against the rules; but nobody minded (page 87). Nobody minded that rules were being broken; this is where the reader realizes that the boys are losing their order and civilization fast.
The boys even begin to think that the conch is useless. Jack shouts at the boys, We dont need the conch anymore. We know who ought to say things (page 101 - 2). By now the boys have separated into two groups. Piggy and Ralph's group who try to keep the island that they live on civilized. The other is Ralph's group.
They are more hunters and savages than people; these are the boys who end up destroying the conch. Piggy is trying to talk to the entire group and is constantly being interrupted. I got the conch! I tell you, I got the conch! (page 180). The final scene with the conch is also the final scene with Piggy.
Ralph heard the great rock before he saw it The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist (page 180 - 1). Now the two things keeping the island civilized are gone. The conch has finally been destroyed. The conch is a valuable item to the boys in this novel, but as they become savages, the conch is destroyed. The boys at first know the importance of keeping a civilized lifestyle. However, as they are away from civilization, their dark sides begin to come out and they become animals.
The conch is an important key in survival for the boys, unfortunately they forgot its important role in their lives.
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Research essay sample on Piggy And Ralph Final Scene
