Essay --

â€Å"Jack was safe from all shame or self consciousness, behind the mask of his paint† (Golding-125). In the book Lord Of The Flies, The symbols of the Conch, and Piggies Glasses represent order, logic, and civilisation within the microcosm of the island the kids are stuck on. But these two symbols, which are at first powerful motifs, are later on overruled by the evil within all of them. This evil is is triggered by the face paint they wear. What at first is a game turns into a type of camouflage cover, releasing the boys from all shame, allowing them to become savages. They are hidden from the values of society and give in to their state of nature selfs. I observed that in the beginning, the conch holds the ultimate power on the island. It dictates what has to be done, and allows Ralph to have control over the rest of kids simulating a mini society. This is displayed when Ralph is elected as chief: †Him with the shell." "Ralph! Ralph!" "Let him be chief with the trumpet thing† (Golding page___). This quote shows how the kids think that the power comes from the conch, and is a sign of protection, order, and leadership. The Conch also illustrates order because you must have the Conch to Speak in an assembly or meeting similar to the rules in class. This is shown when Ralph explains the rules of the group after being elected: †We can't have everybody talking at once. We'll have to have 'hands up' like at school." (Golding___). The â€Å"like at school† suggests the kids are trying to replicate society and keep order. In spite of this, the Conch starts to lose this power later on in the book. This can be seen when Jack dismisses the power of the conch: â€Å"Conch! Conch! We don’t need the conch any more. We know who ought to say things." (Go... ...of wisdom, he was set apart due to his glasses, and bullied. Ralph was a good leader, his power came from the conch and his broad, attractive appearance. The kids should have let it stay that way. But Jack came in, he introduced the face paint mask, releasing the beast within all of them, and causing them to all turn into savages, free of guilt. The symbols of order in the book are overpowered by human nature and the lack of authority. We learn that society is held together by symbols of power. The book teaches you that every human has the ability to be a savage and that evil is only controlled by the rules of society. Once rules are gone, anarchy breaks out and the evil or beast within us comes free. Civilised behaviour is fake, left on their own humans are violent. The world is a cruel place and that the only person you can really count on , and trust is yourself.