Conch And The Pig's Head Analysis

In Lord of the Flies there are many important and in-depth symbols many people would just read over and think nothing of. Two of the most prominent symbols include the conch and the pig's head, each symbolising their own separate yet important idea and theme. The conch and the pig’s head represent things that are both good and evil in their own ways, and everyone has characteristics of both symbols from beginning to end. Both the pig's head and The Conch are necessary for survival. In one way the pig’s head symbolizes hunting, because you need food to survive, and it also symbolizes dominance. In the wild as the boys were, if there is a runt in a litter of fledglings, it doesn’t get enough food and often will die. In these ways the pig's head symbolizes things necessary for survival. The conch also symbolizes things that are needed to survive such as order, as is pointed out when Ralph says “I’ll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold …show more content…
Very different kinds of power, but nonetheless, power. The conch symbolizes power because it was the object that called all the boys together, but more importantly it was the deciding factor for nearly all the boys except the choir. The choir was reluctant, as shown here: “‘Who wants Jack for Chief?’ With dreary obedience the choir raised their hands.”(Golding 23) but this was because of Jack, who has many characteristics that the pig's head symbolizes, but in this situation the most exemplified symbol of the pig's head is power. This is shown multiple times in the book when dealing with the beast. The boys all have a need to kill the beast, to become more powerful. Both of them symbolize power, and each one has a hold on at least one of the boys, be it Simon who resisted the temptation of power achieved by killing and dictatorship, or Roger who embraces it and is a sadist, and when it comes to survival the most important thing is a