Significant Symbols in The Lord of The Flies The Lord of The Flies is a novel that is overflowing with significant symbols such as the pig head, the conch shell, Piggy’s glasses, and darkness. The use of symbolism portrays a deeper meaning to the literature. By observing and evaluating the symbols used in the story, the reader is introduced to a new aspect of the story and the characters. In The Lord of the Flies, specifically, the pig head symbolizes evil, the conch shell symbolizes structure to society, Piggy’s glasses symbolize an intellectual view of the world, and darkness symbolizes fear of the unknown. One of the most important symbols of the story is the head of the pig known as The Lord of The Flies. The Lord of The Flies symbolizes evil. Simon comes across a pig head that has been abruptly struck using a wooden stake. After viewing the head for a moment, Simon begins to hallucinate and imagines that the pig is communicating with him. The pig states, “There isn’t anyone to help you. Only me. And I’m the Beast. . . . Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill” (Golding, 1999). This quickly sends a message of evil to Simon and leads to a continuation of evil thoughts about the pig creating a symbol for evil. …show more content…
The conch shell symbolizes a sense of structure and order to a society. The civilization has few rules, however, a rule that must be followed is a boy must only speak when given the shell. By adhering to this rule, structure is achieved within the boys. Used in some other ways, the conch remains to grant power and authority: “But there was a stillness about Ralph as he sat that marked him out: there was his size, and attractive appearance; and most obscurely, yet most powerfully, there was the conch” (Golding, 1999). The authority and structure presented concludes to the conch shell being a symbol of