TRACKING THE CONCH
Chapters
Pages
1
Pp2124
2
Pp4359
Ralph decides to make rules where if a person wants to speak during a group
discussion, he would need to put his hand up and will be handed the conch,
the person with the conch will be the only one to speak apart from Ralph, this
makes the conch seem like a powerful object and whoever holds it would be
given respect. It’s described to seem powerful yet fragile when “Piggy was
cradling the great cream shell and the shouting died down.” Though when the
boys are on the mountain starting a fire, Piggy’s right to speak is disregarded
even when he was holding the conch, according to Jack “The conch doesn’t
count on top of the mountain” while the boys are consumed by the desire to
start a fire, making the fire seem more powerful than the conch.
3
Pp64
Ralph, Simon and Jack are the only ones who are focused on task rather than
playing and enjoying themselves at the island. The trio find it difficult to have
to do all the work and Ralph states “I bet if I blew the conch this minute,
they’d come running. Then we’d be, you know, very solemn,” because he
knows that the noise of the conch is able to restore order among the boys
and keeps them on task.
4
Pp94
5
6
What is happening? How is the conch described? Any ideas that are
suggested.
Ralph notices the something lying in the lagoon. Piggy is the first to recognise
it to be a conch shell. Piggy has knowledge of the conch as valuable and
capable of being used as a horn or trumpet. The description of the conch
emphasises its beauty and its delicacy, something both powerfully attractive
and yet easily broken, fragile. Ralph, under Piggy’s direction, quickly learns
how to make the conch send out a powerful note, “fluking up an octave”. The
power of this sound is suggested by its impact on the environment:” echoing
back from the pink granite” and “clouds of birds rose from the tree-tops, and
something squealed and ran in the undergrowth”. Because the sound of the
conch draws all the boys to it, Golding seems to be suggesting that it is a
powerful influence that could help the boys to establish some kind of social
organisation.
Ralph decides to call another meeting at night after being fed up by Jack
taking the twins with him on a hunt instead of taking care of the fire, he
states that he will call a meeting with the conch and mentions that this
meeting is serious and not like the other “fun” ones.
Pp98- The conch is described as “yellow and pink to near-white” after being
115
exposed to the air. People kept forgetting the conch’s authority and spoke
over each other, the conch also is in the hands of the “littluns”. Piggy and
Ralph are the only ones that respect the authority of the conch and must
remind everyone to also respect the rule they made. Jack starts breaking the
rules and insults Ralph, the group leaves the assembly without it ending and
only Piggy and Simon stay behind with Ralph, Piggy tells him to blow the
conch but Ralph refuses saying he is afraid they will not gather and start
destroying the order that was created.
Pp123- After the twins, Sam and Eric, seeing the beast at night, they tell Ralph and he
126
calls an assembly, however he does not blow the conch but simply waves it to
show the others. Jack again does not have any care of who has the conch and
does not let Piggy speak when he is holding the conch. He rages and states
that there is no need left for a conch.
7
8
9
10
11
12
Pp155- In this chapter instead of Ralph, Jack calls an assembly by blowing the conch
175
in an “inexpertly” way and keeps the conch to himself. He is angry and tries to
convince others that Ralph is a coward and not fit to be a leader. He decides
to form his own tribe as a chief and runs off. Later he comes back to raid
Ralph’s group’s fire and piggy believes he is here to take the conch. And Ralph
calls an assembly with the conch that the group of boys carry “affectionate
respect” for.
Pp186 Ralph goes to Jack’s feast where after the feast Jack asks the boys who is
willing to join his tribe, Ralph tries to oppose but Jack speaks over him. Ralph
mentions he has the conch and he should speak, or he would blow it and
would call an assembly, to which Jack reminds him he had left the conch
behind and it didn’t count on that part of the island where they couldn’t hear
the conch being blown.
Pp192 After Simon’s death Ralph does not know what to do, Piggy suggests an
assembly, but Ralph just laughs with the conch in his hands. He is traumatised
after the murder of Simon that happened in front of them.
Pp209- Piggy takes the conch to Jack’s tribe with Ralph and the twins to take back his
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glasses and the fire they stole. Ralph calls an assembly there where the
“savages” gather around and listen to Piggy, while he is talking, Roger has
pushed a rock that rolls down and kills Piggy and breaks the conch. The conch
was the only thing keeping peace and keeping Ralph as the chief. With the
conch gone Jack attacks Ralph, he manages to defend himself and runs off
into the forest.
Pp226- After the conch is destroyed and Ralph is forced to flee, he does not come
229
back to the tribe since he knows they wouldn’t listen to him anymore without
the conch. Jack and Roger are still searching for him and Sam and Eric also
join the savages in their tribe which cause Ralph to feel isolated.