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.