Lord of the Flies Paper

Power is defined as the possession of control or command over others. Power can be a very good thing if it is used in the correct way, meaning for the good of all. It can also be a very bad thing when it is used for evil, without thinking about anyone other than himself or herself. The issue of power is something that everyone faces at one time or another. You do not have to look too far to see the struggle between good and evil or order and chaos that occurs between the different personalities everywhere. Somewhere someone ultimately wants to take control or have the power to rule and command others. The novel, Lord of the flies is a story about power, from the very first page of the book to the very last.

In "Lord of the Flies", Power is a major part of the story and there are two symbols used in the book that help describe the struggle of power that takes place. These two symbols are the conch shell and the sow's head, which are very powerful in different ways. The conch shell is introduced in the first chapter of the book where Ralph and Piggy discover it on the beach. The boys use the conch shell to summon all the boys together after they are separated during the crash and because of this, the shell becomes a symbol of civilization and the good actions in the book. The sow's head, or Lord of the Flies as it is referred to in the book, is the other powerful symbol used. The sow's head is introduced in the book in chapter 8 when Simon returns to the glade where he can enjoy the beauty and peace and instead finds the sow's head on a stake with flies swarming it. While in the glade, the head talks to Simon saying, "There isn't anyone to help you. Only me. And I'm the Beast...Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill! ...You knew, didn't you? I'm part of you? Close, Close, Close! I'm the reason why it's no go? Why things are the way they are?" (p.143). The sow's head is a powerful symbol in the book because it represents Chaos or the bad and evil part of power and the evil part that lives in each and every person.

In the beginning, the boys want to create a civilized world full of order where everyone gets along and they work together to try to survive as a group. The boys use the conch shell to create and enforce rules that they think are important to live by such as a boy can only talk if they are holding the shell and they vote on one person being in charge or the head of the group. The boys believe that living in a civilized way and having rules and order is the best way for them. They agree that each boy should have a job or something they are responsible for in order to make the civilized world work, however, some of the boys decide that they do not necessarily like being told what to do and when to do it. As the book moves on the attitudes and feelings of some of the boys change and the boys develop into two groups, the civilized and the chaos. When the boys find the dead parachutist and believe it is the beast. When this happens, it causes the decline in the remaining power of civilization.

As the boys change from wanting to do things for the good of the group to only looking out for themselves, the beast that they believe is tormenting them grows stronger. This causes the boys to do more evil things even to the point of murdering their peers. The evil of the boy's behavior is what brings the beast into existence and the more evil and dangerous the boys become, the more the beast seems real to them. When the sow's head is introduced as the Beast and is talking to Simon in the glad the head explains to him that he is the evil that lies within everyone. Simon then realizes that the beast they have all been so worried about is not real, but rather the evil part that is inside each one of them and capable of doing