While the conch is in existence it represents democratic law and order, authority and discipline. However “The conch doesn’t count on top of the mountain’, said Jack ‘so shut up.’ Jack is already questioning the authority and discipline which the conch symbolizes. He seems to be warning the boys that they cannot depend on the conch and what it stands for alone if they are to survive on the island long.
Piggy becomes closely linked with the conch because he represents intelligence and discipline in the group. The conch is shattered and Piggy is knocked off the cliff onto a square rock 40 feet below, like a sacrifice it is extremely important that he dies at the same time as the conch is destroyed as it shows that all the hope stability and reasonably civilized existence is lost in those few moments.
The event symbolizes the obliteration of intellect and reason from the island, and the smashing of the conch at the moments of Piggy’s death represents the loss of the traditional systems of authority so referred by Piggy. It is appropriate that the sea which Triton (in Greek myths) controlled by blowing his conch, should rear up and snatch Piggy after the conch is shattered.
As the conch ages and becomes ‘pearly white’ this is a symbol its influence on the children declines and they are becoming more savage. ‘I’m chief,’ said Ralph…And I’ve got the conch-’ as we see the boys and Jack ignore Ralph whilst he is speaking with the conch.
The skull if left on the island after the conch has been destroyed. ‘There was the fathom-wide grin of the skull,’ the skull represents savagery and evil through it’s the only white thing left on the island as a symbol. The reason we can see it shows the rapid decline into savagery is the way Golding describes the skull as having a ‘fathom-wide’ grin that portrays incessant. This brings the life on the island into destruction.
So as we can see the conch plays a very important role in the novel. It represents our civilization, law and order today.
