Specs In Lord Of The Flies

Lord of The Flies by William Golding follows the adventures of a group of English schoolboys stranded on a deserted island during the midst of an atomic war. Their plane has crashed and no accompanying adult has survived so the boys are left on their own. As the story progressed, characters and objects grew to have more meaning beyond their physical selves. Piggy’s specs are constantly shown as a symbol of science and logic. The conch, which Ralph discovered in the lagoon, represents power and governmental structure. Fire gradually shifts from a symbol of rescue to destruction. Throughout the novel, Golding portrays the specs, the conch, and the fire as symbolic representations of society as their meaning or importance shifts.

The meaning behind Piggy’s specs does not change; However, its importance increased among the boys. The importance of Piggy’s specs was often overlooked at the beginning of the story. When the boys discovered how the specs could be used for lighting a fire, its significance rose as they became more conscious of its power, Jack also chose to steal the specs over the conch since the specs are able to light the fire for his feast. “[Jack] was a chief now in truth; and he made stabbing motions with his spear, from his left hand dangled Piggy’s broken glasses” (168). Jack felt

as if he is truly a chief because he held an object of power since the specs have the ability to create fire. The specs become the most prominent symbol of power at the end of the story.
The conch’s meaning shifts as the boys decline further into savagery. The conch is a symbol of civilization and order which gives it power in the beginning. The speaker stated that, “This toy of voting was almost as pleasing as the conch... the general wish for a chief to an election by acclaim of Ralph himself. None of the boys could have found good reason for this… But there was a stillness about Ralph as he sat that marked him out… yet most powerfully, there was the conch. The being blown that, had sat waiting for them on the platform with the delicate thing balanced on his knees, was set apart” (22). This shows the power of the conch since even though Piggy or Jack would have been the more obvious choices, most of the boys end up choosing Ralph for chief. Near the end, Jack pointed out that, “...the conch doesn’t count at this end of the island” (150). Jack expressed that the meaning of conch is useless. Also, saying that civilization and order do not matter in his group. As the boys descend into savagery, the conch loses its power and it is eventually destroyed.
The meaning of fire on the island changed consistently. The signal fire that the boys first setup was a symbol of hope and rescue. However, as the boys turn to savagery, the signal fire was set aside and no longer their first priority. Ralph stated, “We can’t keep one fire going. And they don’t care, And what’s more-- … What’s more, I don't sometimes. Supposing I got like the others- not caring. What ‘ud become of us?” (139). He pointed out how the boys and sometimes even himself do not care about the signal fire or rescue as they remain on the island. In the end, fire does bring help to the island. However, it is the fire used to hunt down Ralph rather than the original signal fire. “The fire reached the coconut palms by the beach and swallowed them noisily. A flame, seemly detached, swung like an acrobat and licked up the palm heads on the platform. The sky was black” (201). At this point, the fire becomes a symbol of destruction instead of hope and rescue.
Lord of the Flies contained many symbolic characters and objects and many experience a change in their representation or importance.

Piggy's specs symbolized the power of science and its significance rises to a symbol of power at the end of the novel. The conch first rose as the symbol of great power, order, and civilization, but as the boys became detached from society, its powers are lost and evidently destroyed. Finally, fire shifted greatly in meaning from hope and rescue as the signal fire to pure destruction at the end of the novel. Golding conveyed many different meanings behind the specs, the conch, and fire through their shifts in their definition and

influence.