In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the conch signifies that all humans are inherently evil when there is no authority enforcing any rules. The main conflict is that the boy's civility diminishes as the conch and its authority diminishes. This is like in the film The Purge where there is 12 hours of no laws and no authority. Within those twelve hours the people go crazy. This is exactly what we see in the novel except the boys slowly lose their civility because in the beginning they have most of their civility. Towards the middle and end of the novel, their civility begins to fade. Golding uses the conch as a symbol of authority.
The conch is used by Golding to represent that humans are naturally evil. In the beginning of the novel Golding makes the conch and the boys in perfect condition. The little uns shout that Ralph should be the leader because he is holding the conch, this happens almost immediately after they land on the island. " 'Him with the shell.' 'Ralph! .
Ralph!' 'Let him be Chief with the trumpet thing'" (Golding ch1 pg.22) This represents the civility they are familiar with in their society. The quote also represents order because in England, where the boys are from, there is always authority figures looking upon them. These children implement this idea on the island. The boys are still well mannered. Jack and Ralph argue about picking a leader for the island and Ralph is volunteered since he holds the conch; " 'Shut up,' said Ralph absently. He lifted the conch. 'Seems to me we ought to have a chief to decide things. 'A chief! A chief!' "I ought to be chief,' said Jack with simple arrogance, "Because I'm chapter chorister and head boy. I can sing C sharp'" (Golding ch1 pg. 29). When the conch is not present or in function the boys are in conflict. The power that the conch gives the boys and how it keeps them in order much like a teacher does with their students.
