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Essay – Lord of the Flies “Civilization is the progress toward a society of privacy. The savage’s whole existence is public, ruled by the laws of his tribe. Civilization is the process of setting man free from men.” (Ayn Rand). Much like today, our society is based on principles of order, law and regulations to keep man’s primal instincts in line. However, eventhough today those principles are not yet followed by everyone, it is with great punishment and consequences that wrongdoing is paid. As a result, it is extremely important to act justly among a civilization in which violence and evil do not go hand in hand. Much more important is the need of higher power or authority to prevent the principal and concepts of modern man to revert to a more primitive part of their nature. In a somewhat similar situation is the story of, “Lord of the flies”, by William Golding exposed to. Where the struggle for power and authority brought the civilization of a tribe of boys on an island to lethal outcomes. The symbol used by Golding in this novel further deepens the true significance of one of the main themes. The symbol of the conch, the beast and the fire demonstrate the need for civilization as the main theme of this novel. The conch is by far the most significant symbol that Golding uses to portray and strengthen the main theme of the novel. The conch stands as a symbol of law, democracy order and authority. In the story at the beginning the conch becomes the basis of civilization for the boys. They use it to speak, to call others and for power, without it the destruction of themselves could even be at risk.
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