Henry Adams once said, “Chaos was the law of nature; order was the dream of man.” For as long as mankind has existed, order and rules have been prevalent where society stands. The reason why this practice has lasted so long is because it is crucial in civilization. William Golding fully comprehends this concept and portrays the importance to his audience in Lord of the Flies. In the novel, Golding utilizes symbolism to express his view that order in society is crucial. The first piece of undeniable evidence from the novel is that the conch shell is implemented to represent order and structure. Just after discovering each other, Ralph and Piggy find the conch in the water, and Piggy knows it’s true value since Piggy represents wisdom. “ …show more content…
As time passes, the conch is forgotten and starts to fade in color, and in turn, so does the order and structure on the island. Golding displays this when he states, “Conch! Conch!” Shouted Jack. “We don’t need the conch anymore. We know who ought to say things. What good did Simon do speaking, or Bill, or Walter? It’s time some people knew they’ve got to keep quiet and leave deciding things to the rest of us,” (Golding 101-102). Golding is expressing Jack discarding order on the island by neglecting the conch. As the conch fades so does the boys’ remembrance of order and structure. In the novel, the narrator states,“Exposure to the air had bleached the yellow and pink to near-white and transparency,” (Golding 78). Golding utilizes this passage to illustrate that with the fading and changing of the conch’s appearance, order fades and is changing as well. As result, the boys were unable to remain organized and keep the fire going. Since rules and order were not their first priority, they weren’t rescued right away. If the boys have been more organized in their strategies, they would have been rescued very early