The conch shell, is a symbol that appears many times in the book Lord of the flies. It represents the boy's government system. They blow the conch to call meetings, and when one of the boys wants to talk he hold the conch. It doesnt just belong to one person, and it gives everyone a right to an equal say in the group. When the conch falls out of Ralphs hands, and he join the chaos of the signal fire, their government has basically fallen and now really there are no rules, until someone picks it up again and establishes the system again.
The Signal Fire, appears at the start of thebook, when the boys light a fire to try to signal ships to their island. It is a symbol of hope amoung the boys, and as long as it is lit, it is their link with the adult world. At one point they signal fire went out, and a ship went by, some of the boys didnt seem to upset over this they were happy since they had just caught a pig. This shows that while some of the boys are tryiing to keep a connection to the outside world, most of the others seemed to have forgotten their old life.
Piggy's glasses, represent intellectual endevour. Piggy is always thinking of new ideas, and ways that they can improve their life here but no one really listens to him. But when they use his glasses to start the fire, they take them from him against his will, and they are basically using science as a weapon on the island. There is also a symbol in Piggy's hair, his hair never grows like the other boys. It shows he is not tempted by savagery like the rest of the boys. He is their link to the adult world.
The beast, is something the little ones keep claiming to see, and have nightmares about. it represents the boys fear, they are coming closer and closer to being basically savage, and the beast symbolises their fear, of violence, and savagery. The beast is the side of anyone and everyone however unaware of it people are, that wants to hurt and be violent. The beast is the boys fear of this.
The stick sharpened at both ends, this is a symbol that appears later in the book so I will write about it when I write a blog about the chapter when it appears.
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