Civilization turned Savage In Lord of the Flies, Golding makes use of multiple symbols to represent his view on human nature. And yet, the most common motif/symbol was the Conch. The conch symbolizes a democratic process, and a civilization and it has a magnificent effect on the readers. The boy who holds the conch has the right to speak at meetings, which is why the conch essentially controls them. But some boys who would hold the conch did not get the authority to speak, and that symbolized how such a governed civilization can go downhill quickly. Throughout the novel, the conch symbolizes democracy but when it breaks it symbolizes destruction. The conch represented a democracy, and the boys were of order during the time it was in use. At the start of the story, Ralph and Piggy found the conch. They blew it to gather the kids together and form a group, it was a tool used to gather meetings and they made rules to make them more civilized. In the text, Ralph says “And another thing. We can’t have everybody talking at once. We’ll have to have ‘Hands up’ like at school.” . . . “Then I’ll give him the conch. . . . I’ll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he’s speaking.” (Golding 33) The start of rules symbolized the …show more content…
“The conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist” (Golding 181). It symbolized how savagery prevailed. The start of absolute chaos and destruction in the boy’s society was when the boulder crushed piggy and the conch shell. Piggy's death was the breaking point where all civility was lost. Towards the closing of the novel, Ralph is alone and on the run, hiding from Jack's tribe of savages who intend to kill him. Running in the midst of the chaos and the savages all this scene can be seen as is plain destruction and a ruin of civilization. It can be clearly seen that the breaking of the conch turned out to be a symbol of