Lord of the flies

In the book the lord of the flies we can see how a group of boys coexisting in an island attempt to create a civilized society between them. This can be demonstrated by the usage of the conch, their desire to keep the fire going in order to be rescued and their general set of rules.
First, by reading this book we can notice that the conch (Golding 21) represents order and civilization,especially because it serves as an essential tool for the communication process between the boys. One of the phrases that best represents this process is “whoever holds the conch gets to speak” (33), this phrase expresses that when the kids decide to make an assembly whoever who has the conch is allowed to talk to the group. This method allows weak members such as Piggy to express himself. For example,when “Piggy lifted the conch as tough to add power to his next words” (50) he feels that by doing this he will be listened. As a result, we can tell how the conch allows Piggy to say all the valuable and important things he needed to say. However, not only Piggy uses the conch as a way to communicate, but also Ralph, who uses the conch as a tool ensuring his leadership over the other boys because“they [obey] the summons of the conch” (50). Consequently, as Ralph is the one who blew the conch for the first time this conceived him power over the other boys, who mostly respect him as a leader.
Second, another symbol of civilization present in the book is the fire. This fire represents their desire, their hope to return home as well as a connection between them and civilization. When 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." (37) we can tell how much he wants to be rescued and how the fire becomes a link between the boys in the island and civilization. Also when Ralph starts to think about the fire and feels that “there [is] something good about the fire. Somethingoverwhelmingly good” (139) we can tell that Ralph feels pleased about the idea of being rescued and calmed when thinking that this fire can be their way to leave the island or even their only hope to survive. In addition,
139 | On the fire:We can't keep one fire going. And they don't care. And what's more, I don't sometimes. |
163 | Ralph's thoughts:There was something good about a fire.Something overwhelmingly good |

Third, the set of rules allows the boys to live together "We've got to have rules and obey them" (55) We've got to have rules and obey them. After all, we're not savages.

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 a symbol for theboys' connection to civilization. “ The fire is the most important thing on the island. How can we ever be rescued except by luck, if we don’t want to keep the fire going? Is a fire too much for us to make?” (p.80) As long as the fire is well maintained, the boys exhibit a desire to return to society, but when the fire burns low or goes out, the boys lose sight of their desire to be rescued, havingaccepted their savage lives on the island. The signal fire thus functions as a kind of measuring stick by which the strength of the civilized instinct on the island can be judged. Ironically, at the end of the novel, it is a fire that finally summons a ship to the island, but not the signal fire: it is the fire of savagery—the forest fire Jack starts as part of his quest to hunt and kill Ralph.The Signal Fire is a representation of commonsense and rescue from immorality. When the signal fire can no longer be lit, because Jack stole Piggy’s specs that light it, its beacon of hope and knowledge is no longer present to guide Ralph who must then be constantly reminded by Piggy about what is right."

"The symbol of fire is used throughout the entire book, Lord of the Flies. Although it...