Symbols/scenes related to the themes or key events in the novel

I will be discussing about the symbols that are related to key events in this story. One of the symbols present in the book is the conch shell. At the beginning of the story, Ralph and Piggy found the conch at the beach. After admiring the conch shell, the two boys used the conch shell to produce a unique sound to call the rest of the boys together after the plane crash. The conch shell is a symbol of authority and order in the whole story. In the whole story where most of the theme is focused on savagery and civilisation, the conch shell is an important symbol that provides and effective way of communication.

The Conch Shell



The conch shell also gives whoever that is holding the shell the right the speak. This is an attempt at civilisation as the boys try to follow the ‘hands-up’ rule which is common in their schools. However, as the story progresses, the element of savagery starts to triumph over civilisation. The conch shell was shown to lose its symbolic meaning when the boys start to ignore Ralph and throw stones at him when he blew the conch at Jack’s camp. When Roger pushes the boulder to kill Piggy, the conch shell is also crushed in the process. This signifies that the boys’ civilised instincts were no longer present.

Piggy's Glasses



Piggy is the most intelligent, rational boy in the group, and his glasses represent the power of science and intellectual endeavor in society. This symbolic significance is clear from the start of the novel, when the boys use the lenses from Piggy’s glasses to focus the sunlight and start a fire. When Jack’s hunters raid Ralph’s camp and steal the glasses, the savages effectively take the power to make fire, leaving Ralph’s group helpless. In addition, Piggy is seen to wipe his glasses most of the time, right before he gives a rational analysis on matters. This shows clarity of thought and since Piggy seems to embody the rational thought of humans, closer to the side of civilisation, Piggy's Glasses hence represent the power of science and the intelluct society possesses.

The Signal Fire



The signal fire burns on the mountain, and later on the beach, to attract the notice of passing ships that might be able to rescue the boys. As a result, the signal fire becomes part of the boys’ connection to civilization. In the early parts of the novel, the fact that the boys maintain the fire is a sign that they want to be rescued and return to society. When the fire burns low or goes out, we realize that the boys have lost sight of their desire to be rescued and have accepted their savage lives on the island. The signal fire thus functions as a kind of measurement of the strength of the civilized instinct remaining on the island. The fire seems to symbolise hope and freedom in this case, as it represents the hope of the boys to be rescued, and it is the only way they can be rescued.

One of the key events in this story is burning out of the signal fire. The signal fire represents the boys’ desire to return back to civilisation. Burning on the island, the smoke produced was supposed to attract the attention of passing ships. However, the signal fire were let out accidentally when Jack went hunting with the other members while he was in charge of keeping the signal fire burning. The burning out of the signal fire represents the boys’ lost hope and attempt to return to the society. The fact that the signal fire was let out due to a careless mistake by Jack that could be easily prevented also shows that the boys were not fully committed and sincere about connecting back to the society. It also shows that a small of the boys’ instead preferred to stay on the island for the rest of their lives, not wanting to return back or get help from the society.

The Beast



Another symbol present in the book is the beast that the boys saw in the jungle. The beast is actually non-existent and is a symbol of the boys’ savagery instinct. Although most of the people especially the littluns were afraid of the beast, only Simon was able to realise that the existence of the imaginary beast was due to their savagery. As civilisation and order demises when the story progresses, more sightings of the beast were mentioned in the book. This shows that the more prominently the beast is mentioned, the more savage they are.

The Lord of the Flies



The Lord of the Flies is the bloody, severed sow’s head that Jack impales on a stake in the forest as an offering to the beast. This complicated symbol becomes the most important image in the novel when Simon confronts the sow’s head in the glade and it seems to speak to him, telling him that evil lies within every human heart and promising to have some “fun” with him. (This “fun” foreshadows Simon’s death in the following chapter.) In this way, the Lord of the Flies seems to be a manifestation of the devil.