In Lord of the Flies, there are many unique symbols. As the story developed so did each of the symbols in the novel. The symbols in this book include the conch shell, the fire, and the beast.
One of the first symbols to appear is the conch shell. The conch shows the start of civilization and rule. In the first chapter, the conch was found near a lagoon on the beach. Piggy said, “We can use this to call the others. Have a meeting. They’ll come when they hear us-.” When this happens the conch shell represents unity, power, and order. The conch’s power and order are present as the children vote for Ralph to be chief. ‘ “Him with the shell.” “Ralph! Ralph!” “Let him be chief with the trumpet thing”’ From that day on the conch is used to call meetings and the person who held the conch had the freedom to speak without being interrupted. The boys fall deeper into savagery and find themselves disconnected from order and authority, especially as Jack begins to defy Ralph and pull away from the tribe. As the story progressed, this right is abused when Piggy tries to speak and Jack tells him to shut up. Towards the end of the book when Jack is on the run from Ralph’s tribe, he thinks “there was no solemn assembly for debate nor dignity of the conch.” This shows how much the boys depended on the conch
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At the same time the conch begins to lose its power. At the of the novel, the conch has become very fragile and there is almost no order and authority left among the boys. When Piggy is