The Conch Shell and Piggys Glasses as Symbols in the Novel

The conch shell is one of many symbols used in Lord of the Flies. The conch is a symbol of civilization and order. When the piggy and ralph first find the shell it is blown and helps assemble all the other boys who were on different parts of the island. Not only did the conch bring all the boys together but it was also a tool which was used during the boys meetings. Who ever held the conch was in charge and the only one in the group who was allowed to speak. As the boys become more savage and the novel goes on, the conch begins to lose much of its power. This also represents a loss in civilization in the progression of the novel. For example, when ralph holds the conch and tries to speak, the boys ignore him and throw rocks at him. This shows the disrespect they have for each other and their loss of civilization even more. In the novel Roger rolls a rock onto Piggy, while the rock not only hit Piggy, it also crushed the conch shell. This symbolizes the boys complete loss of civilization in the novel because when they first had the conch shell everything was going good and they were still innocent little boys, but now that it is gone it shows that savagery has completely taken over. Another symbol that is used in The Lord of the Flies are Piggys glasses. The glasses symbolize intelligence. Out of everyone in the group Piggy is the most intelligent and rational. Piggys glasses do more than symbolize intelligence, they also make fires. In the beginning on the novel all of the boys make a fire using Piggys glasses. Later in the book when the glasses are stolen from Piggys camp, Jack's and the other savages who live in his camp are able to make fire. This shows the importance of something so simple.

Loss of Innocence

The boys who are stranded on the island are young, immature and innocent. None of the boys wanted to be stranded on an island without their parents. The boys slowly transform into men in this novel when they have to fend for themselves and make decisions that will impact not only themselves but also all the other boys. Unknowingly to them, the boys transform from young boys to savage blood thirsty hunters. They will do whatever they feel is necessary to survive and to find food. The children go from little boys swimming in a lagoon to painted savages who have killed and tortured numerous animals. The author portrays the evil that the boys show as being something that has always been inside of them. The reason they have never showed this side of them is because their evil spirits were suppressed by society. In chapter three, Simon sits in the Forest Glade, it is peaceful and relaxing. When he returns later in the novel there is a bloody sow's head on a stake that was put there as an offering. This bloody offering destroys the peace that was once there. This is a very powerful symbol of how natural human evil can destroy childhood innocence.

The Beast and the Signal Fire

There is an imaginary beast that terrifies all the boys, this beast symbolizes the beast that is inside us all.  The boys are afraid of the beast, but it is only Simon reaches the realization that they fear the beast because it exists within each of them. As the boys grow more savage, their belief in the beast grows stronger. By the end of the novel, the boys are leaving it sacrifices and treating it as a god. The boys’ behavior is what brings out the beast , so the worse boys act, the more real the beast becomes. This enforces the idea that all of the boys have a little bit of evil inside of them that was only brought out because of the crash. If the boys still lived at home, none of the evil portrayed on the island would show. The signal fire is another symbol in the novel. The signal fire represents the final string the boys have tied to humanity. The signal fire is used to burn and attract ships passing by. When the fire notifies no ships, the boys lose hope. They stop lighting the signal fire and accept their fate to be stuck on the island. It is ironic that in the end of the novel a fire is what brings a ship to the island, but it isnt the signal fire. It is the fire that jack started in the fire as an attempt to kill Ralph. This shows how the boys have savagely changed in the novel and went from using fire to attain help to using fire to find and kill each other. The boys, their attitudes and views on life change drastically while living on the island. They transform from little boys to complete savages. 

Abandoned

After a terrifying plane crash, a group of young boys are stranded on a remote island in the middle of the ocean. After conversating the boys realize that while flying during a time of war their plane had been shot down and they were the only survivors. Piggy and Ralph search for the pilot and other survivors, but find no one, until they use the conch shell to gather the boys. The boys vote for a leader, the two runners up are Ralph and Jack. Ralph wins the vote and Jack becomes furious. Jack is an older boy in the group and therefore alot of the younger boys look up to him. The plane had crashed on a heavily wooded island. Having nothing but themselves, they must work together to survive. They need to fend for themselves since they have no parents on the island. There is food available on the island but the boys are having some trouble catching it. The boys came across a wild pig while exploring. At first the boys have hope of being rescued, especially since one of their fathers is in the navy. They are all quickly dismayed when they realize that no one knows exactly where they are.