Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, is the story of a group of British boys who crash-land on a desert island, with no adults to be found. They are left to fend for themselves as the order comes to an end and the island swallows them whole. Two key and complex symbols in this story are the conch and the fire. The conch is a tool that Ralph and Piggy, two island boys, find at the beginning of the story while searching for other boys who may have survived the crash. The fire is a way for the boys to stay “warm and safe” while on the island. As young British boys become more aware of the dangers of the island, the physical and symbolic manifestations of the conch and fire change as life on the island begins to fall apart. At first, the shell symbolized a way to hold back the boys' school. life. When the conch was blown and the mighty sound echoed throughout the island, Piggy stated, “I bet you can hear it for miles” (17). Just as Piggy said this, children began to appear among the palm trees in the forest. The shell that brought them together depicted the children's school bell. He made most of them feel safe when they were confused about what might happen to them. The conch also brought order to the boys on the island. “We will have rules” “I will give the conch to the person next to me. He can hold it while he speaks.”(33). Without adults they were forced to create rules for themselves because order would have to be maintained on the island until they were rescued. At school, order was everything and they wanted to maintain it and thought about safety. The shell gave them a sense of home and hope to leave the island. To increase their feeling of safety on the island the boys decided to...... middle of paper ......the difference between a pig or more of a human being. What did he use to kill a pig? Fire. And now it was exactly what he would use for Ralph. They wanted to hunt him down and set fire to the island (197). Fire consumed the forest and darkness took over forever. The fire left nothing but the memory of what had happened on the island. The fire and conch were bright, full of life and gave the boys confidence and a sense of home. As life on the island falls apart, the fire becomes stronger and more colorful, and the shell becomes weaker and duller. When the shell breaks, society and all faith in order ends. Eventually, the fire consumes everything and hope for survival comes to an end. The complex concepts of fire and shell changed along with the boys' lives on the island and in a certain sense led to their final downfall.