What Does The Conch Symbolize In Lord Of The Flies

William Golding develops numerous symbols in Lord of the Flies, some of which include the conch shell, the fire, and Piggy’s glasses. Each of these symbols presents a key element to the story and represents something far greater than its plain, physical being. For instance, the conch shell, which was presented to the characters early on in the story and lasted until nearly the end, seemed to represent the civilization and order on the island. The first action the conch is used for is to call an assembly and to find out if there are others or if they are alone on this island, this occurs on page sixteen where it is said “We can use this to call the others. Have a meeting. They’ll come when they hear us—.” Forever, after this initial usage,

the conch stands for unity and structure which is otherwise nonexistent on the island, as on page thirty-three where Ralph says, “We can’t have everybody talking at once. We’ll have to have ‘Hands up’ like at school… I’ll give the conch to the next person to speak.

He can hold it when he’s speaking.” Also in the latter half of the novel, in the wake of Simon’s murder by the group of savages, Ralph is seen clutching the conch when talking about what happened and his involvement on page 157 “At length Ralph got up and went to the conch. He took the shell caressingly with both hands and knelt, leaning against the trunk… He bent down and waited. Ralph, cradling the conch, rocked himself to and fro.” These instances portray the conch as the island’s and Ralph’s desperate need and pleading for civilization and rules, to stop the madness and savagery. Finally then, on page 181 the conch and Piggy meet their demise as “The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist.” This shows the complete removal of society from the island and the downfall into complete

madness.
Another symbol found on the island is that of the fire which is used as a smoke signal to attract ships, but also is representative of the boys’ desire for rescue and the strength of the fire seems to equal their connection to civilization.

The first reference of a fire appears on page 38 where Ralph says “We can help them to 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.” This initial fire is the peak of their hope and desire to return to civilization, and after that moment they begin to lose their desire as first the fire goes out on top of the mountain on page 67 where it’s said “The fire was out, smoke-less and dead; the watchers were gone. A pile of unused fuel lay ready.” Then, after this instance, they decide to move the fire to the shore so it will be less of a chore and less work to keep it ignited, this shows their laziness along with their loss of hope and care for being rescued. Finally, the smoke dies off completely and the only existing fire is used for cooking the food from Jack’s hunts, until the forest fire at the end where they are hunting down Ralph from the jungle. This fire, turns out to be the boys’, and Ralph’s, timely rescue, while also being the peak of irony for Ralph; the fire he has been speaking of the entire novel turns out to be their key to success, but sadly comes only from their ultimate descent into madness, page 201 “The officer grinned cheerfully at

Ralph. “We saw your smoke. What have you been doing? Having a war or something?” Ralph nodded.” While typically not thought of as structure and a call to civilization, the fire was precisely that, as it went away their madness increased, and when it returned, rescue beckoned.
Finally, there are Piggy’s glasses. His specs represent the power of science and intellectual endeavor in society, and once they are stolen by Jack, Ralph’s group is left helpless. As long as he can remember, Piggy has worn glasses, and they are a focal point and representative of his personality as a whole, always grounded in reality and based on facts. The first real use of the specs, other than for Piggy’s sight, is when they are used to start the fire on page 41, “Ralph moved the lenses back and forth, this way and that, till a glossy white image of the declining sun lay on a piece of rotten wood. Almost at once a thin trickle of smoke rose up and made him cough.” After this moment, Piggy’s specs were the key to fire, rescue, and smoke, and whoever possessed them had the power of science, as well as fire, on the island. This need for fire is a crucial part in the story, and the drive of whether to use it as a smoke signal or for cooking is a widely discussed debate among the boys. Eventually, on page 168, the need for fire to cook his meat from hunting becomes too strong and Jack, with his gang, attacks the others for Piggy’s glasses, “The chief led then, trotting steadily, exulting in his achievement. He was a chief now in truth; he made stabbing motions with his spear. From his left hand dangled Piggy’s broken glasses.”
These symbols all help to deliver and intensify the plot in ways that normal characters cannot. Whether it’s the conch, the fire, or Piggy’s glasses, each adds a new element and represents a key message to the island, without such objects representing these crucial societal elements, the boys would’ve been truly lost without hope. Since these objects are existent, though, it gave the boys an opportunity, but with the way their savagery interacted, it was often too powerful for the meanings to have any effects that the boys could understand at the moment, so eventually, when the end drew near, the truth came out in all three, which led to their timely rescue and escape from the island.