What Does The Conch Symbolize In Lord Of The Flies

As Lascelles Abercrombie said, “There is only one thing which can master the perplexed stuff of epic material into unity; and that is, an ability to see in particular human experience some significant symbolism of man’s general destiny.” The book Lord Of The Flies by William Golding is about a group of British boys isolated on an island with no grownups. No grownups mean no rules! The boys trying to govern themselves leads to disastrous results. Golding's book is saturated with symbolism. In Lord Of The Flies the conch, the signal fire, and war paint are symbols whose meanings change throughout the course of the novel, giving a new interpretation of the island’s society and the world at large.

The first symbols in Lord Of The Flies that

changes significantly throughout the novel is the conch.

The conch represents civilization, law & order, and authority. When the boys find out there are no adults on the island they begin to discuss what should be done in order for them to get rescued. But before that, they need to set some rules. Ralph says “That’s what this shell’s called. I’ll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he’s speaking” (Golding, 33). When Ralph says this he is setting up rules for the boys on the island to follow, in order to show a civilized society. The conch grants the right to speak to whoever is holding it which displays law and order taking place. However, when the rule of the conch is ignored it loses its value of civilization. Towards the end of the book, Ralph tries to explain to Jack that he is chief and he has the conch that holds authority. Jack says to Ralph “You left it behind. See clever? And the conch doesn't count on this end of the island -” (150). Savagery begins when Jack’s tribe ignores the meaning behind the

conch because the conch represents civilization. When the civilization begins to decline, savagery rises. This is demonstrated at the end of the book when Roger leans all his weight onto the lever. “The conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist” (81). The conch is now gone and broken revealing civilization does not exist, leaving the evil and savageness of the boys to rule the island. When the conch is broken it shows how Golding uses symbols to represent other figures and how they evolve throughout the story. The conch represents democracy but when it is ignored and broken it shows what little civilization the boys possessed giving a new interpretation of the island society.
The second symbol that adapts in Lord Of The Flies is the signal fire.

The signal fire serves as the boy's connection to civilization along with their chance of rescue. Once the boys figure out who was going to be chief they had to take account of how they were going to get rescued. Ralph declares “There’s another thing. We can help them find us. If a ship comes near the island they may not notice us. So we must make smoke on top of the mountain. We must make a fire” (38). When Ralph maintains order, the boys begin to build the fire and generate smoke. This clearly illustrates the sophistication of the island’s society. Because they are only young boys they lose their eagerness to maintain the fire. Ralph is furious that Jack and his hunters only want to hunt. Ralph says to Jack “There was a ship. Out there. You said you’d keep the fire going and you let it out” (70). When the boys let the fire go out and lose interest in managing the fire, it marks that the boys detach from the desire of getting rescued, leading to the loss of civilization on the island. Meanwhile during the course of the book “fire” is also used as an ironic symbol. “Smoke was seeping through the branches in white and yellow wisps, the patch of blue sky overhead turned to the color of a storm cloud, and the smoke billowed round him” (195). Fire is also used to get Ralph to come out of his hiding place in the jungle. The fire that is set loose to get him out engulfs the island in the fire. This is ironic

because they first used the signal fire to get rescued but that failed. But without intent, the fire from the island is noticed by a British Navy ship. Therefore, the signal fire changes throughout the course of the novel, representing how the fire us first used to maintain civilization then ignored illustrating that they are accepting the savage way of life and being an ironic symbol for finally getting rescued.